Blue Masquerade
by Kita Kudai
Summary: There is a danger in secrets, in seeking and in knowing. Some secrets defy understanding and sometime even the things we think we know, are untrue. Some secrets should remain untouched. Secrets can tempt your instinct and lead you into war. Sabo/OC
1. Prologue

**This is just a story I had to make where Sabo lives. The title was inspired by the poem by Langston Hughes. There will be polls to help decide the future of this story as well. So keep on the look out. **

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><p>She didn't even know how it happened. One moment she was docking in the city of Sabaody Archipelago and the next a Navy Admiral was threatening them with death if they did not obey the World Nobles. She was doing her best to try to comply with their wishes but they terrified her. Her brother had died in a skirmish. She was now clinging to her bleeding father. If he wasn't treated soon, his stomach wound would kill him. She had already ripped the sleeves off her shirt to tie around the wound but the fabric was already stained. It wasn't applying enough pressure. She swallowed thickly. She couldn't lose him too. He was her only family member left in the world after her brother's death with the Slave Hunters and her mother passing after she was born.<p>

"I want you on your hands and knees," a Noble – a woman if she wasn't mistaken – said, "And bark like a dog while you're at it."

She looked to her father. He nodded, encouraging her to do as she was told. She had no choice. Slowly, she closed her eyes, wondering how things in her life had gotten so bad. She was a good person. She and her family did not deserve this. And yet there she was, kneeling down on her hands and knees as the Nobles above her sniggered at her weakness and apparent willingness to obey, barking for her life. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she was demoted to a lesser being. She couldn't let them see her cry. It was a sign of weakness and of all places to show weakness, it could not be in front of the Nobles.

"More realistic!" the Noble ordered.

She continued barking. It was a strangled sort of noise that made it sound like a dog was being tortured instead. Fat and ugly tears ran down her face. Her heart throbbed. It felt like a knife to her chest with every bark that escaped her throat, every ounce of humanity and freedom being drained from her with each passing second without anything for her to be able to do. Her life was too important to defy the Nobles. Her brother had been an example of open defiance. A bullet straight to the forehead was his gift for such a thing. The pain was almost too much for her to bear. She hated the Nobles so desperately that she could taste it in her mouth, like a poison, spreading against her will and infecting her entire being without her permission. She wanted to be able to yell and scream at them and curse them to Hell a thousand times over for actually trying to make her and her father slaves, for tricking her family into coming there, for killing her brother and thousands of other things that made her blood boil.

"Daddy, I want the girl!" the woman whined, "My other maid blew herself up yesterday when she tried to escape."

"Great idea," another said.

"So it's settled. She's my new slave, su."

That was the end of the freedom of the woman named Skye. All she could do was continue to bark because she had not been told to stop.


	2. Chapter I: Branding

Skye had been drug away from her father, kicking and screaming. She refused to bark now that this was decided for her. Little did she know, the moment she was gone, he was shot as well, dead before she was even ten feet away from him. But she was already screaming, no longer barking as she had been ordered to. She had been drug into a room with the Nobles watching, as if this were some sort of theater production for them to enjoy. A hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up, seeing a man with a slave collar on his neck. Her eyes widened in horror as she mutely gaped like a fish. The collar was the only thing that stood out in her mind. She was going to end up just like him, trapped with no escape and no freedom. The Nobles would work her until her very last breath. Terror coursed through her veins like a poison. _'No, please, no,'_ she silently begged.

"Just breathe. It'll be over soon enough," he whispered.

Before she could question what he meant by that, she felt the sharp piercing pain of the needle push through her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt it come to a stop. It wasn't pushing any deeper into her skin but the initial pain alone was enough to make her wince in pain. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be a slave. She didn't want to die like this. The liquid inside the needle began to force its way into her blood and for a brief moment, it felt no different from a normal injection. Then the pain hit her like a freight train. Like fire was lacing its way through her system, white-hot agony began to engulf her entire body from the point of injection. Her head felt like it was going to explode. The pain by now had spread right down to her toes and she clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes closed. It didn't help that the guards used her pain as an opportunity to strap her down to a table.

Skye bit back a scream of agony. Never before had she felt such torment before in her entire life. It felt like her very flesh had been set to fire for the world to watch burn. Sweat clung to her as she arched her back against the bonds that held her down. She was doing her best not to try to move since it made her body ache even more. She had tried thrashing at the bindings that held her down but it was a fruitless task. They would not break. She had no idea why they had given her the injection. She felt her eyes widen and her face pale as she saw a Slave Collar sitting on a pillow in the other slave's arms. He looked at her with sadden by the fact he was playing a part in her loss of enslavement. He just looked so sickly, so ill, that Skye felt her heart plunge so deeply in her chest she thought it had fallen to her stomach.

"How are you, slave?"

She cringed when she heard the speaker. She closed her eyes as he walked over to her. She didn't dare look him in the eyes. She knew it would only lead to more pain. If she tried for open defiance, she would die, just like her brother. But she was afraid of death, just as much as she was afraid of becoming a slave. She couldn't just let them take her freedom from her. She couldn't just give up. Her heart burned in her chest at the outrage being forced upon her. She was her own woman. She had dictated her life. She was the one who decided to come with her father when the Nobles asked for a display of his magic because the Nobles were sick. It was a dirty rotten trick, using her father's white magic for nothing but parlor tricks. She was the one who thought there would be no harm in going to the call. However, she wanted to bite the 'doctor' when he gently touched her face, as if he had a right to do so. She turned her face to the side so that she didn't have to feel his hand as long as he was letting it linger. He scoffed at her childish behavior.

"Answer when spoken to, girl!"

She was soundly slapped across the face. She had to bite her lip to prevent from crying out. Blood was now trailing at the corner of her mouth. For a split second, her face was numb, before her nerves registered the swift blow and the sharp pain was enough to cause tears to well up on the brims of her eyelids. It felt like her very skin was on fire from the rippling burning sensation from her face. Skye pressed her hand against the offended part of her face as a feeble attempt to subdue the maddening sting that now caused her cheek to throb vigorously. She knew it was going to leave a nasty bruise. It was the fact that Skye could do nothing to stop him that hurt her more than anything she had experienced yet. She wanted to fight back. The doctor then wrapped his hand around her slim neck, not putting too much pressure but enough to show her that he was not playing. He took pride in the fact that his rings had scraped flesh. She had a small trail of blood on her face. The force of the punch was pretty hard.

The Nobles watched in glee as the doctor pulled out the hot iron that was shaped into the paw of a dragon out of the furnace sized fire place. Skye watched in horror as the metal glowed white hot and steam rose from the heated iron. They were going to brand her, like cattle, like property that they could buy and trade without her say. She would never be able to remove the mark if she allowed this to continue. She fought against the holds on the bed, even as her shirt was cut open to let the metal touch her flesh she fought against the hold. A knife cut her skin on her back because she had thrashed into it. Even though the iron hadn't touched anything yet it sizzled with twisted spirals of steam hissing into the air. The straps holding her down on the table had raised her arms outwards so that her back was exposed and vulnerable to any attack, a whipping, a knife, a hot iron. She didn't hold back the desperate cry as she struggled to get away from the hissing that grew closer and closer to her flesh. The heat alone terrified her into trembling.

Her struggles were useless. Her eyes opened wide and she screamed at the top of her lungs as hot iron was pressed into her upper back. Her howls were enough to make the Nobles grin at her pain. The woman – the one who wanted to make her the slave – trembled in excitement at the idea of perhaps forcing Skye's magic to make itself known. She was already crying as the skin melted underneath the molten iron. Her skin was melting around the heat of the alloy and it only made the metal sputter more. The slave in the room coughed as black smoke rose from her back as the flesh burned. No matter how long someone was exposed to that, they would never get used to the smoke or the smell burning flesh caused. Blood poured down her back and onto the table, seeping into the fabric of her ruined shirt and her tattered pants.

"Please!" she begged, "Please, just let me go!"

She heard the Nobles laugh at her helplessness. Despite the excruciating pain she bent her head in shame. She had to resort to begging for her life. She felt the tears simply rolling down her face now. She was about to become nothing more than a tool, a puppet for the whimsy of a girl who simply wanted to find out what kind of magic she had or to make her be a maid to cook and clean for her just because she felt she had the right to make Skye do it. She wasn't one for violent attacks. She wasn't an offensive mage. Her magic focused on the defensive but could go offensive if she needed it to because of her own created spells. Her father called her a natural. A mage like her normally made their first spell by the time they were seven. By the time she was seven she had made four spells. The guards grabbed her after the iron was pulled away. They forced her to stand after unhooking her from the table. She lost the energy to stand on all fours. She was shaking uncontrollably, feeling bile in her mouth. She threw up at the shoes of the slave boy. He didn't move away from the bile. As she fell forward the Nobles laughed louder.

"Put a collar on her. I want her in my room by tonight. And I expect my room to be clean when I get there, slave."

"Put a collar on yourself," Skye hissed.

The woman turned to look at Skye in horror. Skye had never wanted to kill someone so badly in her entire life. She wanted that woman dead. Humans were the worst killers in the world and yet a human would sacrifice their life to save another. But the World Nobles were sub-human. They did all their killing from an arm chair, with the cushiest of lives and they barely had to lift a finger to have someone killed. They could replace her at the blink of an eye. That's what made it pointless. She was going to die serving them or she was going to die fighting them. She made her choice the moment they forced her to. She was going to fight them. She was going to try to kill as many of them as she could before she went out. They were going to remember her name and tremble in fear.

"You did not just address me, you insolent commoner!" the woman roared, "You are my slave! You are not to talk-"

"If anyone's the animal here, it's you."

Now Skye got to her feet, shaking like a leaf in the rain but still enough to stand defiant, proud and threateningly. Her brother would be proud of her. Her father would be sad that she died but he would be happy to know she was still free if she did. She was not going to go down without a fight. The look in her eyes spelled death for all who were around. The Nobles were the first on her mind. Suddenly the doctor and the guards started gasping. They gripped their necks as if someone were grabbing them and choking the life out of them. Skye's eyes were glowing a bright acid green. The slave boy took a step back in alarm but then was forced to move closer because the guard holding his chain fell to the ground. If the slave boy moved away his collar would explode and he would die. The guards and doctors were now writhing with pain as they struggled to take a breath that simply wasn't being allowed to them. They were going to die like the dogs they were because of her. They were dying in front of the Nobles.

"You wanted a magic show, right? That's why you called dad here… Well, I hate to burst your bubble, you damn bitch, but he wasn't the half mage you thought he was."

A strange current whipped around Skye, shaking the room, the table, all of the instruments. One of the Nobles fell to the floor, staring at her in horror as she took a trembling step forward. Her bleeding back marked her as a slave but she would fight to remain free. A bloody puddle was forming on the stony ground beneath her feet as a testament to her pain and suffering. She wondered how many before her had been marked the way she had, how many lives those people had ruined, how many people they had killed because they felt entitled that they could. She would escape. The slave boy in the room looked alarmed. He couldn't move. He couldn't run. He couldn't even escape. However, as he looked at the girl, he couldn't help but feel something he hadn't felt in years, hope perhaps? He didn't know. He just knew he had seen that look in someone's eyes in only two other people he knew, people he hadn't seen in almost seven years. Hope was something he had not felt in a very long time.

"So let's start the show…"


	3. Chapter II: Escape

**Don't forget to take a look at my profile page. I have a poll up concerning Ace later in the story.**

**I don't own One Piece.**

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><p>To the day, Skye never fully remembered how she escaped. She could remember vague details of the lock of the other slave's collar clicking, an explosion, being chased, running and a boat. The boat was where her memories became a little clearer. She could remember being hugged tightly by the slave boy. He was crying into her shoulder. It stung a bit because his tears trickled down her shoulder and along her back – to the bleeding tattoo on her back. Sabaody Archipelago was getting further and further away on the horizon. It was hard for her to believe her entire life had been ruined in just a single day. Her brother was dead. Her father was missing, actually dead though she didn't know it. She had lost all freedom that she could have possibly held. Now, she was on the run for assaulting the World Nobles and freeing another slave.<p>

"We're free… We're free… It's okay now, we're free…" he kept whispering in her ear.

She didn't know why he kept saying that. But then she noticed the water that was whipping around them wildly. She looked into the water, finding acid green eyes staring back at her. She cringed back. Instantly, the water stopped whipping around them. The boy just continued to hold onto her like she was his lifeline. Skye shifted but winced as pain rippled through her back. She shook her head. She couldn't focus on the pain. She could already hear shouts coming from the island. There wasn't enough distance between them, but luck was on their side. Night was falling soon. If she could keep paddling all the way through the night then they could get distance between them that the marines wouldn't because no one sails at night. It's known for being far too dangerous because some Sea Kings are more active at night than during the day. Skye would rather risk the Sea Kings than get caught again.

"We have to hurry," Skye said, "They'll send the marines after us the first chance they get."

The slave boy nodded. He let her go and started to fumble about the boat. The boat rocked dangerously. Skye nearly fell over had she not grabbed the opposite side of the boat. With her newfound back wound, falling into the ocean now would be the end of her. The slave boy wasn't even looking at her either. He was just grabbing at things, as if he were looking for something. A startled cry from her made him stop. He was about to fall over too but she grabbed him as well. She practically threw him to the opposite side of the boat to assure she could still hold on and he wouldn't fall into the water either. She had no idea if he had a Devil Fruit power. She wasn't about to test the theory with a sink or swim exercise either, not when she couldn't help him as well as she could have, had she not been marked. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him to survive just as much as he needed her to survive. They couldn't get out of this without the other.

"What are you doing? You'll flip us!" Skye cried.

"Sorry…"

She grabbed him and made him look at her. She let go immediately, as if she had been burned as he stared at her blankly. She was fumbling over her words, trying to stammer out an apology. She didn't know. There was no way she could have known. He was blind. Smokey eyes stared at her with a sort of remorseful sorrow. She couldn't help but wonder what it was that blinded him. It could have been curable. She could use her magic to help him, but then again she didn't have her book anymore. If she did then he could have been cured in a heartbeat. She was defenseless without her spells but now that she thought about it, she wasn't as weak as she thought she was. The Nobles did do something right when enslaving her – they didn't collar her first. She could rework her spell book. She could learn to use magic without her book, use it to the best of her ability. Her brother always did say she was a quick thinker on her feet. She licked her lips, wondering what to do.

"W-Wait, I know w-what it looks like but I won't slow you down!" the slave boy cried, "I'll work hard. And if I'm too much work you can drop me off at the next island!"

Skye said nothing. She shook her head, deciding to ignore him for now. He was just a liability at the moment anyways. Her life was the most important thing that she possessed anymore. If he died, then he died. If he was recaptured, then he was recaptured. There wasn't much she would do for him. He just happened to be lucky that she had escaped and had taken him with her. Her head ached as she tried to recall what had happened. She winced again. This time she looked down at her stomach. There was a gunshot wound. She closed her eyes slowly. How did she not realize the pain? She just assumed she was wet because of the water. She ignored the pain, grabbed the oars and put them in the water. Then she started to paddle away from Sabaody Archipelago as quickly as she could. She needed distance between them and the marines as quickly as possible.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Skye… And you?"

"Sabo."

She continued to row, despite the stinging of her back. Sabo went back to searching for something, albeit a little more carefully now that he knew the limits of the boat. His hands blindly traveled over a few items. She could see two bags of unknown objects and a bucket, but not much else in the boat aside from a fishing rod that was beneath her seat. At least they would be able to have fish, even if they couldn't cook it. She had read somewhere that you could eat fish raw, certain fish at least. They would survive. She would make sure the both of them survived. Once they got to the next island, she would send him wherever it was that he was from using any means necessary. She would then try to find her own way home. Her aunt might miss her. She knew she missed brewing potions with the older woman, even though it had been but a week since the last potion they worked on. Skye was good at brewing but needed her book just to make sure and double check her work. She was particular about how she brewed potions. It was always good to stay on the cautious side anyways. One wrong ingredient and the antidote could become a poison.

"Skye, can you tell me where the oars are?" Sabo questioned.

"I've got them."

She clenched her teeth as she rowed. The pain in her back was almost unbearable now. Her back was bleeding once more, she knew it. She didn't even have to touch the skin to feel the warm life blood running down her flesh. It was just then that she realized that she was still shirtless. She was glad that Sabo was blind or else he would have seen an eyeful of her exposed, bloody flesh. Her stomach flickered in pain just to remind her that she had been shot. She stopped for a moment. The pain was starting to push to a point where she really couldn't simply ignore it. She put her hand to the wound and grimaced in pain. Sabo crawled over to her. She recoiled when he touched her. But Sabo was gentle, easing her hands away from the oars and then hovering down until they were at her stomach. He grimaced a little at the sticky feeling of blood.

"We have some bandages that I managed to grab," Sabo explained, "Would you let me… treat the wound?"

Skye frowned. She tried to move away but the bullet in her stomach hurt her too much. A wave of nausea passed over her, enough to make her want to throw up again, preferably not on Sabo's shoes again. Besides, watching her vomit get eaten by little fish was not on her list of things she wanted to do. Her back rippled in pain with every movement. It was enough to make her want to ask from him to kill her but she had already fought so hard to survive. They had no weapons to kill with. He would have to kill her with his bare hands and that was something she never wanted to ask anyone to do. If you did something with your hands you remembered it better because you had physical contact. So her blood could stain his hands for years if he actually remembered that she had asked him to kill her. But she was still alive now so there was no point in giving up her life after she had done so much. She licked her lips as she looked up at him. His eerie smoky eyes were staring straight at her, as if he could actually see her. The thought made her heart race a little in her chest. She was forced to look away, submitting to his eyes.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she questioned.

"You don't…"

Skye looked up at her newfound friend. He had blonde hair that fell into his smoky eyes. The color of his hair offset his pale complexion. He looked strong with broad shoulders under well worn clothes that had seen too many days. Despite the way he looked tired and older than even the sunken in skin and weathered body proclaimed, he had an aura of power and strength. And just like that Skye relented. Sabo fumbled for the bags until Skye grabbed them for him. She reached inside and found gauze and tweezers. Sabo took both. Deftly, with well practiced fingers, he used the tweezers to take the bullet out, despite being unable to see. Then he quickly wrapped the wound, apologizing because her upper torso was pressed into his chest. Even though he was blind, he still looked the opposite direction. Then he smiled once he felt that he had wrapped the wound enough.

"Now, why don't I take over? Your back must hurt. Just tell me where to go."

"Thank you…"

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><p>They had rowed straight into a hurricane. It wasn't Sabo's fault. A marine ship had been chasing them. So it made Skye feel better that the marines were also stuck in the bad weather. However, the marines actually had a good ship compared to the pathetic row boat that Sabo had stolen during their escape. The boat rocked violently over the wild waves, sea water slapping the side of the ship and rising so that it pelted down onto the deck. The rain came pelting their flesh like so many fingers as it hammered down on the two escapees. The ship tossed and turned in the undulating ocean waves, rising to the tippy top before going on a wild ride down again. The storm was in full swing, and the row boat, as well as the marine ship was slowly and roughly making its way to the eye of it, where it was calm and collected. Skye cringed as salt water slapped over the side of the boat, landing on her. The wounds stung badly enough. The salt water was actually making her cry. Sabo had thrown his shirt over her to protect her a little but it was already soaked and keeping salty clothes pressed to the wounds stung as much as getting hit with the water. Besides, a wave had washed the cloth away.<p>

Skye began to panic when she felt her footing give way on the slippery boards. She fell hard on her stomach, a grunt of surprise and pain escaping from her mouth as the wound was jostled with her back aching. Her own cry was lost thanks to the howling wind. She scrambled to sit back up. Sabo wanted her to hold onto the bags so she held on tightly. Sabo grabbed Skye by the scruff of her neck, dragging her towards him. The oars had long since snapped because of the force of the waves. They had to ride it out, just like the marines, who were gaining on them, coming closer and closer as each wave rolled past. Once they got out of the hurricane they would be stranded. Skye hugged Sabo tightly. The straps of the bags were tied tightly around her arms. They would act as anchors if they flipped. But Sabo still held her close to him, as if he could protect her from the rain and the waves. Behind thick clouds of whirling grey, daylight – or was it moonlight? – was hidden. The waters raged, tossing the ship about like a toy figurine; furled sails, black as charcoal, were whipped this way and that, and waves of salt water crashed over the skull shaped figure head. Men were reduced to ants in such a storm, and it was only by the mercy of the ocean that the ship hadn't capsized so far.

"Did they make you eat a Devil Fruit?" Sabo screamed.

"No!" Skye answered, "You?"

"No!"

"Good!" Skye responded.

The wind tore at their clothes, their hair, and their faces. Skye's eyes watered and she had to squint against the sleet. Bits of her hair were sticking to the side of her face. Other bits were free and whipped her neck and face every time the wind blew it that way. She was constantly spitting it out of her mouth. Occasionally, it smacked Sabo in the face but he didn't notice it. Thunder clapped overhead and lightning struck somewhere too close for comfort. Suddenly there were several shouts from the marine ship behind them, and Skye turned to see what was causing the men to panic. Her eyes widened in horror. She could not tear her eyes away, not even if she wanted to. She just clung to Sabo tightly, trying not to hurt herself but she completely displayed her fear by gripping him tightly. She was half torn to hide in Sabo's arms, but his arms felt like a cage. She had yet to realize her knuckles had turned white as she watched the marines behind them. She was glad Sabo couldn't see this.

"Oh god, Sabo…" she breathed.

A Sea King had risen out of the water. She could hear the screams of terror as the beast lashed out at the ship. It smashed the marine ship in half. The men were screaming as they either fell into the ocean, was crushed by the wreckage of the small ship, eaten by the Sea King or clinging to what was left of the ruined boat. She could see blood dripping down the fangs of the beast attacking the marines. She had never seen a sight so horrifying in her entire life. She was glad that Sabo couldn't see. He would have been scared as much as she was. A single fin rose out of the water. Then it grew bigger until its size was closer to that of an orca whale. Two seconds later, it had definitely grown larger than a blue whale and Skye's face had turned very pale. She gasped in horror as the second Sea King rounded on them. Sharp fangs were pointed in their direction. Bloodlust swam in the animal's eyes.

"Sea King…" she whimpered.

"Jump!"

The Sea King lashed out at them. Sabo pushed Skye from the boat, jumping over with her. Planks of wood rained down as she sailed through the air and hit the water. In an instant it felt like everything went slower. She was falling, but peacefully. Everything sounded far away and distorted. She opened her eyes and received a stinging sensation that burned her retinas. She knew that she was definitely not on the boat anymore. Panicking, she kicked herself upwards and broke the surface, gasping. She screamed, unable to control herself. She gasped, coughed, wheezed, and struggled for breath. She was amazed that she could keep herself up with the two bags weighing her down. But then her eyes widened. Sabo had yet to resurface. She spun around, looking for him, trying to find the mop of blond hair in the black seas. She couldn't see the Sea King anymore but she did see dark shapes under the water's surface, perhaps they were the beasts of burden. But the monsters could come up underneath her at any time and swallow her whole.

A large wave pushed her back down, and sea water flooded her lungs. She battled her way back up to where the air was, but something had fallen into the water above her and caused such impact that she found herself spinning, tumbling, and somersaulting through the water as if she was being sucked into an imaginary vortex. She was catapulted downwards. She couldn't breathe. Her brain kept screaming that she needed air. But she no longer knew which way was up. She swam, thrashing out wildly. Water was all around her, leaving her with no way to go. The bags weighed her down. She was about to give out when she saw a stunned figure floating in the water beside her. It was Sabo. He reached blindly for something. He couldn't see which way was up. Her lungs burned. She didn't have much time left underwater. But her breath was already next to nothing and she began to suck in water. She couldn't breathe, and she was so tired… Regardless, she swam to him. The moment she touched him, he lashed out but she wrapped her arms around him anyways. Her body ached sorely. Her stomach burned. Her back was beyond agony. But she pushed upwards. The moment they broke the surface, they were separated again.

"Sab-"

The wave washed her under. She couldn't keep fighting. She was too tired. She was going to die very, very soon. She could see it. She reached for the surface, as if it would help get her up there. Oxygen was too far away from her. Water was going to be her grave. She was being pulled, tugged towards death. Skye felt she had cheated Death enough for one day. It was growing harder and harder for her to think since her mind was going fuzzy from lack of air. Bubbles escaped from her lips. She started to float backwards in the water. She looked up. There was a dark figure, approaching her like a fish, only it had the body of a human. Something smooth touched either side of her face, and then her wrists, pulling her up. She knew it had to have been Sabo. But as Fate would have it, he would have none of her surrender. He had heard her before she was washed under again. He dove into the water the instant he heard her voice get interrupted and blindly swam down. If he had been able to see he would have seen the image of a woman with her arms held up, towards him, as if welcoming him in a sorrowful embrace.


	4. Chapter III: On the Sea

Skye finally came to. She was floating on a door, intricately carved. She was laying on it, belly down with the bags as well. Sabo was clinging to the wooden frame, keeping his upper body out of the water as best he could. Their breath floats around them in a cloud as they pant from exertion. Night had fallen. The storm had cleared. She could only see ruined wreckage, everywhere around them. It was terrifying that the one storm had enough to destroy the ship and that it called up not one, but two Sea Kings. She counted the two of them as lucky. They were probably the only survivors of the hurricane. She looked around. There was nothing for as far as the eye could see. They were stranded, without food, surrounded by water they couldn't drink and no shelter. They were as good as signing their suicide to the ocean. Their survival of the Sea Kings and the hurricane was nothing short of a cruel twist of fate.

"The marines…?"

"Dead," Sabo croaked, "They're all dead… But that's beside the point. How do you feel?"

She hurt but she wasn't about to tell him that. He would only feel bad that he couldn't do anything for her. They were just drifting under the blazing stars. The water was glassy, with only the faintest undulating swell. Skye can actually see the stars reflecting on the black mirror of the sea. She turns on her side to look at Sabo's face. His face was chalk white with in the darkness. Any longer in the water and he would be no better off than the marines who had been drowned or those who had died of hypothermia. He would die of exposure. She took Sabo's hand in hers. His hands felt like Death, cold and stiff. She is just as cold as he is but she could not bear to live with herself if she didn't do something to help him live too. She might have started crying at some point but her face was too cold for her to feel anything. She bit her bottom lip and smiled, though Sabo wouldn't see it. The false happiness was wasted on the young man in front of her. She saved him from a life of servitude for a short life and a slow death.

"Sabo, you saved me. I'm perfect right now."

"You saved me," Sabo countered.

"But you have to get out of the water. You'll die if you don't…"

Sabo didn't move for a moment but Skye curled her body round. She was in a ball in the centre of the double doors with the bags close by, trying to act as a balance. Sabo laid his hands full stretched and flush against the wood. He edged his chest on the wood, the water rippled and he stopped dead. She looked down at him, wondering what was making him pause. She took his hands and pulled him up, onto the wood. Sabo let out a breath that he felt like he had been holding it for an eternity after finally pulling his full torso onto the double doors. They were both freezing cold, wet, tired, and hungry. Skye sighed. As she began to lie out straight at one side of the doors, the wood tipped slightly. Sabo's eyes widen. With every ounce of steadiness he had in his body he pulled himself flush to the wood, even his feet no longer touch the blackness of the water. The wood tipped slightly but then regained its balance to Skye's delight. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if Sabo fell off the door. He already had frost forming on his skin. All of her energy would be converted into keeping him out of the water as much as possible.

"I'm fine now, this is enough," Sabo breathed.

Both of them closed their eyes, the double doors were still drifting in the black water. So many hours had passed. The storm itself was a few days long. They had been sailing for at least a week without food or water. The stars reflect in the mill pond surface, and it seems as if the two of them are floating in interstellar space. They were absolutely still. Their hands were locked together. Skye's face is tilted upwards as if stargazing at the canopy of stars wheeling above her. Sabo's rough complexion was pale, like the faces of the dead, floating in the water around them. He seems to be floating in a void, maybe even in a semi-hallucinatory state. He turned to look at Skye, though he saw nothing but black. If he could he might have seen the white pallor of her skin or how her hair was dusted with frost crystals or how her emerald eyes were almost a stony jade. But then Skye heard something that was very much like voices. She opened her eyes at the sound, hope. They may be dying but amidst the most glorious band of stars from horizon to horizon, a shooting star flares acting as a line of light across the heavens.

"Make a wish Sabo," Skye whispered, "There's a shooting star."

She turned her head, with a lot of effort, to look at her companion. His breathing was so shallow, he was almost motionless. Her eyes track down from the stars to the water. She watched the shooting star but then stiffened as she saw where it disappeared. There was an outline of a large ship crossing the stars. She saw men on it, walking across the deck of a beautiful white ship, as the large ship glided across the syrupy water, leaving weightless pearls floating in the air. The voices of the men sounded slow and distorted. There was a lookout, shining his torch toward them and the light flared across the water, silhouetting the bobbing corpses in between. It flicked past their motionless forms and moved on. They were searching for survivors from the hurricane. Hope springs inside Skye's chest so brightly she thought her heart would burst. The boat is fifty meters away but it was moving past them. The men look away. Skye lifts her head to look at Sabo, whose unruly hair was frozen to wood under him.

"Sabo?"

Skye touches the blonde's shoulder with her free hand. He didn't respond. Skye gently turns Sabo's face toward her. It was rimed with frost. He had been in the water too long. His breath was coming in tiny puffs. She wouldn't let him die there. They had both been exposed to the elements and with her wounds she was no better off than he was. She looked around, trying to find something to make noise with. Then she saw the dead marine captain, floating by, just out of reach of the door. There was a whistle around his neck. She had to get to it. If she could get that whistle, they would survive. The other ship would come back for them. They would rescue them. They would live, just a for a little bit longer. They would cheat Death, together, once again. It seemed almost like it was a game for the two of them to cheat Death but survival was simply that. The two would fight for as much as they had to. Skye felt life was worth living. Sabo might not have seen it that way but so long as the two were around each other, they were going to survive.

She raised her head suddenly, cracking the ice as she rips her brunette hair off the wood. She calls out, but her voice is so weak they don't hear her. Sabo looks up watching her, but stays still. The boat is invisible now, the torch light a star impossibly far away. Skye struggles to draw breath, calling again. Skye struggled to move. Her hand, she realizes, is actually frozen to Sabo's. She breathed on it, melting the ice a little, and gently unclasping their hands, breaking away a thin tinkling film. Sabo's eyes got wide. He reached towards her but she eased his hand away. She had already untied the two bags from her wrists. The skin felt better now that something wasn't cutting into the tender flesh. Skye rolled off the floating doors and plunged into the icy water. She cringed at the contrasting feeling of the air versus the water. The doors ripple but calm much to her relief. She starts to drift away from Sabo but as she does so, his hand takes hers once more, not willing to let her go. He must have thought that she was trying to kill herself. He was voicing something but his throat isn't complying with his brain. So she started to drag the door with her, kicking as hard as she could. She had to hurry. The marine's body was starting to sink into the water below them.

"I won't let go. I promise. We're going to be alright Sabo."

Sabo smiled in response. She drug the door to the marine's body, with no choice since Sabo refused to let her go. She would be afraid to lose someone as well, especially with being shipwrecked and blind in the middle of the ocean. But she couldn't leave someone to die, even if there were marines alive on the water, she would have tried to have done something. No one deserved death. It just happened. She grabbed the whistle, wincing at the cold feel of the metal and the dripping wet surface that she was going to have to put in her mouth. The moment the metal touched her lips, she started to blow the whistle with all the strength left in her body. Its sound slapped across the still water. One of the men on deck whipped around at the sound of the whistle. She did not relish the taste of the salt water on her lips but she kept blowing. When she ran out of breath, she inhaled and blew again. She was going to make herself a nuisance if she and Sabo weren't saved. The sailors would remember that someone had called out for help, it was whether or not those sailors would remember saving those people or not that would be a true testament of their worth as men.

"Survivors, sir, they're over there!" a man roared.

Skye keeps blowing as a row boat comes to her. She was still blowing when a man took the whistle from her mouth. The man tossed the whistle away from her. She could see the gold surface disappear over his shoulder, perhaps even landing back in the water to sink to the bottom of the ocean. She was just so happy the whistle hadn't attracted another Sea King. The men hauled her into the boat, as if she weighed nothing. She looked up. The man was a lean yet muscular, blond with a rather sleepy look and some stubble around his chin. He was wearing a purple jacket and a light blue sash adorned with an elaborate golden-yellow belt around his waist. He had dark gray knee-long pants and black sandals, and on his left leg he wore what appeared to be some sort of straw decoration. His chest bore a cross and crescent moon mustache symbol that resembled a dark blue silhouette of a Jolly Roger she could vaguely remember at the moment. Her hand still reached across the man's lap, holding Sabo's hand in hers.

"Sabo," she croaked, "Sabo…"

The blond man wrapped a blanket around Skye's wet body. She smiled dumbly as she fumbled to wrap the blanket around her, even if the fabric made her wounds ache. It was still warm and it protected her from the cold air. They were just lucky that it hadn't started snowing or even raining again. If it had, Skye and Sabo would have been dead, no questions asked. There would have been no one for the sailors to save. Even though she had been moved, her hand did not budge from Sabo's grip. A sailor saw she was fumbling with her blanket so he wrapped the blanket around her tightly, easing her back into his arms, trying to give her some of his warmth. The men then transfer Sabo onto the row boat once they see he too was breathing and alive. Their bags were grabbed as a last second thought. Skye leaned down next to Sabo, trying to provide warmth for him as well. But a blanket was put over him too. She just decided to crawl closer to him, for more warmth. She feels like a drowned rat but she was alive and that was really all that mattered at the moment. She would worry about the details a little later, when her brain didn't feel like mush inside her head.

"Is there anyone else?"

Skye opened her mouth to answer but blackness descended on her as she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"…coming to…"<p>

"Miss… up…"

The voices above her sounded unfamiliar but still strangely comforting as she simply lay where she was, wherever that happened to be. Honestly, she had no idea where she was, why she was there, who she was with, what was going on or what the date was. Again, she could care less. She reached up for the voices but her arms were heavy, heavier than she remembered them being. As she focused, she could hear more. There was an insufferable beeping noise that annoyed her. Skye wrinkled her nose. Her head hurt madly, like total brain freeze. She groaned. She wasn't in the water anymore, which meant she was on a boat, saved? She could feel a fleece material surrounding her. She nestled further into it before opening her eyes. A wave of serious pain hit Skye when she looked up. There was no sign of Sabo, nothing but soft cot and blanket around her. She closed her eyes again, blinking heavily. She could see blurs around the edges of her vision. It made her stomach roll in protest. She didn't want to get sick, not when she hadn't eaten in so long.

"Un…"

Words were difficult to form. She couldn't even make her mind and her mouth work together to form the proper syllables. She licked her dry lips, feeling cracked skin against her boned dry tongue. How her throat ached for water. She tried to sit up but a ripple of pain made itself known in her stomach and back. Her brows knitted together as she tried not to cry. Now that the pain was known, nothing she did seemed to comfort it. Her torso felt like it was burning. It felt like she was in an unending carousel of agony. Every breath that escaped her lungs burned like fire. She was tired of all the pain and the misery inside. At the moment all she had was pain and the paralyzing agony that was consuming her entire being until there was nothing left. She glanced behind her, finding that she had been propped up gently, at a slight, but not high angle. It was high enough to comfort her back but not antagonize her abdomen.

"Beeping…" she mumbled, "Stop… the… beeping…"

She heard that person laugh. She felt her eyes flutter open once more. When had she closed them again? Light assaulted her and she was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. A man was sitting at her bedside. She frowned. She knew for a fact that she had never seen him before in her entire life, but he was sitting there as if he were a close relative of hers waiting for her to wake up. She noticed he has tall man with a pompadour hairstyle, which went to a point at the back of his head, and some black stubble around his chin. He had a stitched scar running down his face, around his left eye. She knew for a fact that if it hadn't been treated properly, which she assumed it was, he could have lost that eye. He was wearing what looked like a posh uniform, with calf-long pants and a black belt around his waist. She tried to sit up again. This time, the brunet stopped her from moving too much with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as she felt the pillow pressing against her shirt. She frowned and looked down. She was wearing someone's shirt. A hot blush crept along her cheeks.

She had been found by men, mostly naked with another man at sea. Her aunt would have died from laughter by now. Skye just took a deep breath. Her stomach stung in protest to any movement. Her hand slowly touched the wound. If she had her book, she could heal it without letting it scar. There was nothing that she couldn't heal, being a strictly white magic user. Healing, defensive spells, potions, and the magic along those lines. She couldn't summon creatures to do her bidding like Summoners. She couldn't create fire out of nothing like a Pyro mage – like her brother. She couldn't create enchanted weapons with special abilities if used by the right warrior. She found she never really had to but the pang from her missing book put her in a dour mood. It had been her pride and joy, her true treasure. Now she had lost it forever. Sure, the spells and the potions were memorized in her head but it simply wasn't the same with a different book.

"Morning sunshine!" a brunet man greeted, "You're in the maternity ward right now… What are you going to name the baby?"

Skye groaned and closed her eyes tightly. She did not want to deal with the pain the light was bringing her or the sight of the stranger in front of her or even his attempts to make her feel better. Even past her eyelids the light seemed to reach her. She knew for a fact that she was not in a hospital. She was not pregnant, nor had she ever been so in the past. The man had to be joking. However, with the turn of recent events, her funny bone was dusty and in disrepair. It would take some time before she found something like that funny again. She shifted slightly in the bed, wincing as her burn mark rippled in pain. She wondered if she couldn't ask for medicine. She didn't know how much the ship had, or if they would be willing to waste their supplies on two random strangers but if they were willing to do something like that for her, she would find a way to repay them someday. She wasn't an Alchemist like her other mages were. She couldn't turn lead into gold but she could at least do a few defensive spells and good luck charms and give them a bag of sailing winds.

"Not funny…" Skye said weakly.

The man laughed. He clasped her hand tightly. She looked at him strangely. Once again he was acting as if they were good friends. She wasn't sure what to think of it and she sure didn't trust him. She had just met the man and while he may have played a part in her salvation, he could have very well have been a slave hunter. He could have been saving her to send her right back – perhaps even to her death because she had attacked the Nobles and freed Sabo. Sabo might have been killed already and she wouldn't even know. Her heart began racing in her chest, panic was rising. She couldn't let Sabo die, not when he had saved her too. She winced, closing one eye as she tried once more to sit up. Again, the man was there to stop her, ease her back. He seemed to realize he was going to have his hands full with her, especially with keeping her still like the nurses had instructed that he do under pain of death.

"Well then, welcome back to the land of the living!"

Skye cracked her eyes open once more. If only the man knew how glad she was to actually be alive at the moment or even at all for that matter. She was glad to be alive, more than anything else at the instant but her concern for Sabo was growing more and more as time passed. She still hadn't seen him and she was in a room, alone with a strange man. Something similar to a whine escaped her throat, though the man in front of her didn't seem to notice. He just continued to give a her a million-watt smile, as if he had just proven himself right in something and nothing that anyone could do would prove him wrong. He had a kind, pearly white smile that made a person wonder why he was even smiling at them let alone looking at him. He was just that kind of person that his smiles and kindness took them off guard. Skye didn't trust him.

"I'm not really in the maternity ward, am I?" Skye asked warily.

"Is that what the Thatch told you?"

Skye slowly looked up to find where the new voice had come from because when she did her once over of the room, she and the brunet were the only ones in there. There was another man in the doorway – the blond man who had pulled her out of the water, the one who asked her if there were other survivors. She smiled weakly. She could trust him at least enough. He was the one who had decided to come for her and Sabo regardless of the fact they took the row boat through a bloody battle field from natural disaster and corpses bobbing in the water like apples from a tree into a barrel of water. Skye would never forget what she saw that night, nor would she forget the kindness of the strangers that had saved her life. She would give those men anything that she could to repay them, even if it took her the rest of her life to do so.

"What happened?"

"Well, after a hurricane we decided to look for survivors since we saw a ship go down. We found you and your friend who were nearly frozen over to death, yoi."

"So how long have I been out?" Skye asked.

The men exchanged worried looks, as if worried that she would get upset over how long she had rested. Skye honestly didn't care about that. She could have slept for a week and have been happy, because that meant what happened to her was an entire week behind her. The more she distanced herself from it the better for her heart. She just wanted to keep track of time, to figure out how long it had been since she had escaped, since she had eaten, since she had rested. She bit her lip once again, thinking of Sabo. He made her rest when she tried to row. He made her eat what little supplies they had, stating he was used to going without for a while and she wasn't. But she made him eat too. She needed him strong and healthy because he was the uninjured one of their duo. She smiled at the thought. They had become fast friends over trying to save each other's lives even though they knew nothing about the other. They were no different than the strangers who had rescued them from the ocean.

"Well?" she pressed.

"Two days, yoi," the blond responded.

"So where's the doctor? I want to go check on Sabo."

'Thatch' walked across the room. He pulled back the curtain that separated Skye's room from the room next door. Sabo was on his own bed, blearily looking around, perhaps even in darkness for her. It saddened her to know that he was still trying to find her despite the fact he couldn't see. She wanted to at least reassure him that she was okay, that she was alive, that she was as well as he hoped her to be. He was alive and well and smiling, the best thing that Skye could ask for. Skye smiled as well. It was good to see that he was just as okay as she was. He just looked a little bruised from perhaps their ordeal in the water. He had no bandages and no wrappings so she assumed he never spilled a single drop of blood while in the water. It was just her blood that had been spilled while on the ocean. Hell, it probably even attracted the Sea Kings.

"Skye?" he questioned.

"I'm here."

He turned towards the direction of her voice, smiling as if he had been told he had won the lottery. His abs were scrunched up from his slouching position, making them even more defined and chiseled looking than usual. His large hands rested on the bed sheets draped over his legs, accentuating his broad shoulders and the muscles beneath them. His shaggy blond hair stuck out in random directions, falling into his eyes. His legs were crossed underneath the sheets. He looked tired, with large bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in a while or if he did it had been fitfully. She wondered if he had nightmares about going back to slavery, or of being punished by the Nobles for being an unruly slave. She could see a numerous number of scars on his flesh. What she didn't know was that many of them were caused by whippings and other beatings.

"Let's never do this again?" Skye asked.

"Agreed."

It was such a definite answer, as if it were obvious or a pure fact that couldn't be questioned. Neither of them wanted to go through another terrifying storm in a small rickety row boat again. Once was enough to go through such an ordeal. Storms were easy to handle when with a crew and a large ship. A small crew and an even smaller ship stood no chance, especially when the Sea Kings arose from the salty deeps. They were just lucky the creature didn't come back for them. Skye had no strength at the time and she had no idea what abilities Sabo had. She didn't think there was much he could do in the water without a weapon. There wasn't much either of them could do without weapons. She didn't blame him for what happened. In fact, he saved her several times over that night. Without him, she wouldn't have been alive. He was the one who pushed her out of the boat in the first place, when the Sea King attacked, she froze.

"You had us a bit worried that we came too late," the blond said, "You've been out for ages, yoi."

"Where are we?" Skye croaked.

She winced at the sound of her voice. The blond man offered her a glass of water that she all too willingly accepted. But she drank it slowly, savoring the taste. If she drank too fast she would make herself sick. She relished the taste, humming in delight. After so long of going without water, just a little tasted absolutely heavenly. She looked over at Sabo, she tried to reach out to give him the cup but Thatch took it from her, thinking that she was done with it. She was about to say something when Sabo looked over in her general direction. He had his head tilted to the side for a moment, as if wondering what she was doing. She licked her lips, feeling moisture on her tongue for the first time in a while. She had almost been desperate enough to drink the sea water if she hadn't known the devastating effects it had on the human body. The salt content is about three times more than the human blood. The salt content is much more than what can be easily broken down by the metabolism system of a human body.

Drinking sea water resulted in dehydration that could lead to unconsciousness and damage to the brain. On the other side, the blood cells take the excessive salt to the kidneys to be flushed out. The human kidneys were not able to handle salt water and stop functioning, also a big warning sign of danger. Seawater could be used for wetting the lips, but care has to be taken not to ingest it. Now salt water could be frozen to drink. Salt would fall to the bottom of a container after time has passed. Water with salt will freeze only after the water without salt has been frozen at the top of the container. The same was spoken about glaciers in the North and South Blue. The older the glacier was, the less salt in it. The glacier could be taken and melted for fresh drinking water. Skye shook her head. She had been a white mage for so long she knew how to take care of the human body better than any of the other mages on her island.

"You're on the Moby Dick," Thatch said.

Skye paled upon the name. She knew the ship. Everyone she ever knew had heard of the ship. Granted, Whitebeard was one of the more notoriously known for being kind to civilians, he was also one of the most terrifyingly strong pirates on the sea. Her eyes widened. They had gone from being captured by Nobles, to being chased by marines, to being captured by pirates. She set the glass of water down. The two pirates exchanged looks as she buried her face in her hands. She was trying to keep the fraying emotions in check. Her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest. She bit her lips, wondering what she had done to deserve the life she had now. Then she shook her head. She would survive. She would escape the pirates and free Sabo once more. They had to survive together. She just couldn't leave the blond now.

"W-What are you going to do to us?" Skye questioned.

"We're going to get you treated and then you can meet Pops, yoi."

"Y-You aren't going to take u-us back?" Skye pressed.

The brunet man scoffed. Her mental capacity had been pushed and pulled since the moment she was branded as a slave, as well as her emotions. She felt like a stringed puppet with her cords tightening until she snapped at the end of her wits. So far, the Nobles had done a great job of it too. The marines did well. Now pirates wanted to try their hand at making her snap at wits end. Apparently the pirates would finish the job, as well as her. They could kill her. They could have done anything to her while she was unconscious. But they were telling her the opposite of what she feared. They were telling her to meet Whitebeard. Would he decide to take them back against his crew's wish? Would he simply kill them and toss their bodies overboard? Would he turn them into his own slaves? Did he even support slavery? Nothing made sense anymore. Her entire world, her entire thought process over anything had been changed. She was changed.

"We don't condone the slavery of the Nobles."

Skye felt her bottom lip quiver as she tried her best not to cry. Emotion was thick in her throat but Skye did not cry. She wasn't weak enough to cry. She did not bend to the feelings in her chest but they were weighing her down and clasping down around her heart. But it hurt – the emotion hurt more than she ever thought it would; loneliness, anger, guilt, betrayal, pity… Her family's sacrifice meant nothing to anyone except for her. A vague memory of her brother's corpse washed into her mind. She could hear words being shouted at her but then she shook her head. They were just fuzzy memories of the past that she had seemingly repressed. She didn't want to know. She was safe, temporarily. She would be able to rest easy knowing that the crew didn't want her dead. She would be able to rest knowing that Sabo was safe as well, that they could just pretend, if just for a little bit that everything was okay.

"Just rest up. You'll meet Pops once you're better."


	5. Chapter IV: Rescued by Pirates

A week had passed. Skye had managed to conjure enough magic to heal herself. She had proudly done so without the use of her spell book, not to say she didn't miss the book greatly. She didn't even have a scar on her stomach where she had been shot. However, the one on her back remained. The burn lay too deeply within her flesh to be rid of it. She could see the same scar on Sabo's back. It brought them closer together. But during their week together, Skye and Sabo bonded, the way people are supposed to bond. At first, Skye thought it was awkward. She was afraid of saying the wrong thing to Sabo, offending him or possibly making him hate her. She didn't know how to act around him, how to react to him. He was different. He was a slave for seven years of his life, after being captured when he was just ten. She assumed he would have been like other slaves she had been told stories of, obedient, shy, fearful. But Sabo was the opposite. He was defiant, bold and brave, despite anything that had happened to him.

"I have two brothers…" Sabo started, "One of them is traveling now. He reached our promised age of seventeen to set sail."

"What were their names?"

"Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy. We were all going to regroup in the Grand Line after we established ourselves as pirates."

Sabo was smiling. Skye had heard of one of them. Fire First Ace was a well known pirate in all of the seas. Rumor had it he led the Spade pirates. It made her smile at the thought. He was Ace of the Spade pirates – Ace of Spades. She had yet to hear of Luffy but she predicted good things from him if his brother possessed such a high bounty. Skye wasn't sure how she felt about pirates at the moment. She honestly thought pirates were awful, plundering monsters that killed, pillaged and raped at every port they landed at but they were rescued by pirates. Thatch and Marco had been good to them, kind to complete strangers. The nurses had been tender and gentle as they tended the wounds Skye had, surprised that it healed so quickly, without a scar, aside from her back. Naturally, Skye didn't say a word about her magic. She knew that certain people throughout the seas sought mages for their crews for the mere fact mages could use strange magic which gave them an unfair advantage that certain crews didn't have.

"My… My brother's name was Gabriel… He… The Nobles shot him…"

There was a buzzing in Skye's skull. When had she last opened up like this, been so explicitly honest to anyone? It had been a long time. The fear of rejection and mockery made her queasy. After she became a white mage, all of the other children who had been her friend previously mocked her, saying she would never be strong, because she couldn't summon demons, she couldn't make monsters out of inanimate objects, and she couldn't make weapons out of elements or any of the other offensive types of magic. Skye looked at her hands for lack of anywhere else to look, the smile she previously held vanishing completely off her face with a flash. She didn't really fit in with the other mages, not to say that she was lonely. They kept her company. They were her friends. But they weren't the type of friends to die for. Now that she thought about it, they were mere acquaintances. She didn't know all that much about them other than their magical studies. That's all she had ever spoken to the other mages about.

"I'm sorry…" Sabo offered.

"No… It's how he would have wanted to go," Skye explained, "He would rather have died than to have been a slave…"

"And you?"

"I did what I had to in order to survive," Skye said, "I just thought that if I went along with what they wanted they would help my father."

Sabo frowned. He knew she was in pain and he wanted to ease that pain, to make her better and never see her suffer again, but he didn't know how. Skye was bottling everything up and this left him worried about her more than anyone else on the ship worried about either of them. He knew what Skye was trying to do, put on a front to make it seem like she was confident and arrogant, he could even understand the why, but it still wasn't right. He could easily admit that he wanted to help her but because of her pride she would never dare to ask for help. If she was dying and he held the cure she would never ask for help. She would be one of those people who would rather die than ask for assistance. To them it was like admitting a weakness. Sabo shook his head. Needing help wasn't a weakness. It was strength that allowed a person to admit that they weren't strong enough to do something on their own.

He knew that Skye disliked depending on others too much but he also hated it when people tried to do everything on their own. He wouldn't have survived so long without the help of other slaves. When he was staving as a punishment, other slaves smuggled him food at the risk of being punished themselves. When he was about to be whipped, other slaves stepped in when they knew that his body wouldn't be able to take the beating. When they noticed that he had too much work and they had less than he did, they helped him with what they could. People like Skye had to realize that they weren't superman or some other super hero and they couldn't do everything they put their mind to. The world wasn't going to give them anything easy to work with. There was a void in her chest after losing her parents, but at least she knew her family would die for her. He only had Luffy and Ace that would do that for him, but he supposed that if they died, then he wouldn't have them anymore, at least not physically. That hole in her heart had gotten deeper and she didn't realize the damage until it was already too late.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Color?"

"Yeah, if we're going to be friends, I should know more about you."

Skye swallowed. Sabo still wanted her around. He wanted her despite the fact they were safe. It brought tears to her eyes. Granted, he was trying to change the topic so that she didn't think about her brother's death any longer than she had to. People from her village thought she was odd because she always had her nose stuck in a book. She never once sought a fight but if she stumbled across one happening she always jumped in to break it up. More often than not she came home with bruises and black eyes but with a proud smile on her lips. Many of the children who were picked on looked up to her. Those who did the bullying hated her. Some of the adults disliked her because she put more bruises on their kids than they did on her. They said she was trouble and refused to let the kids play near her. They felt she was a bad influence and they didn't want their kids to take after her. She didn't mind. She just fought for the protection of others. Fame, glory, riches, she didn't want any of it. The mere suggestion made her scoff. She just wanted to stand up for those who couldn't do it for themselves.

No one knew why she wanted to walk down a path so noble. No one knew why she fought for the others. All they knew was that when she fought her rage was inescapable. She was a hurricane that when anything bad swept into its path the object was pounded on furiously by the intense pressure. The kids mockingly taunted her, calling her a Sky Knight, like the from the story book that was written in the North Blue. Instead of getting teary eyed and crying like other girls would have the girl held her head high and smirked at them. She'd give a two fingered salute and walk away. She did have the few acquaintances that she spoke with that helped soothe her loneliness. But all they ever talked about was magic. None of those people truly knew her for her. They just knew her as a mage, and what she could do because of the way she was trained. She healed the sick, tended to the injured and helped ease the passing of the dying. She could send off spirits of the dead and help them into the Afterlife. She thought of her magic as a double edged sword. On one hand, she loved treating those who were ill and making them better. But she hated to work with dying souls, knowing there was nothing she could do except make their passing easier.

"G-Green…"

"I liked blue…"

Skye gave a watery smile. She had known endurance and strength from the moment he saw Sabo for the first time, scarred and bruised but still with that excruciating tolerant smile on his face. She didn't know how the blond did it. Sabo had the worst of lives in the long run and yet he could still bring himself to smile. He found a reason to enjoy life so she would too. She would take this and become stronger because of it. There was something about Skye that Sabo couldn't figure out. He thought that it was something about how her words were depthless and emotionless. Or perhaps it was something about the way she could sit still for hours on end simply seeming to think deeply about something or another. He only knew she had sat still and thought about something because Thatch, Marco or the nurses had told him that she had yet to move.

She had a right to her secrets. She had a right to hide things she didn't want to tell him just yet. He knew that Skye's heart and mind had lost their jovial and innocent state because of the Nobles' act of cruelty, for the mere fact that they could do it. Her heart and mind sank into a lonely and shattered adulthood. But when he was little and when Sabo was still around the other kid used to tell him that it was better to go without food for three days than loneliness for even a single moment. She must have felt alone because she had no one to depend on anymore. Her brother was dead as was her father. She was taken from her home. She had no one in the entire sea to count on, but he was offering. He wondered if she would take the bait, to allow him to become the person she could depend on until he helped her get home or if she would decide to stay with him, simply because he needed someone to depend on too.

"What are your hobbies?" she asked.

"I used to write stories," Sabo admitted, "My dream was to sail the world and write a story about my adventures. I guess I have to find a new dream."

Skye was outraged that he was giving up so easily. If it was his dream, then he should fight for it, sight be damned. It didn't matter what anyone thought about it. If it was his dream then it was something worth fighting for, perhaps even dying for. He shouldn't let a disability decide his life for him. He should make the most of what he had, even if it wasn't much. She felt a pang as she realized, she had no dream in life. She was just living each day of her life. She had nothing to aspire to. But now, that she wasn't stuck on the island she was born on, she could find out what it was that she wanted most in the world. She was free to do what she wanted so perhaps by being enslaved she was just a kick start for her to truly fight for her freedom, the freedom from being enslaved and the freedom of living her life for what she was supposed to live her life for.

"Why should you give up on that dream?" Skye pressed, "It's a good dream!"

"I can't see, Skye. I can't write anymore."

Skye stared at him for a moment. He looked so saddened by this, so dejected. She had grown attached to him and she really didn't want to part after meeting Whitebeard. Skye licked her lips. She had dabbled in writings when she lived on her island. She was one of the best poets in her family. She could wager her words against the elderly poets of her island and she had pitted against them before. The elderly were glad for a challenge from someone so young so they pushed for only their best works against hers. She had thought nothing of it. She just wrote because she could, because she was bored some times. She had never thought of it as a passion but apparently, it had been the one true goal Sabo had in life, was to write a book about his travels. She wasn't going to let a passion like that die so easily. Not when he had apparently hoped for it for so long. It would be cruel to try to stop something like that.

"I… I can write…"

"What are you saying?" Sabo questioned.

"Pops wants to see you two…"

Skye looked up to see Thatch in the doorway. He smiled at them but Skye felt her stomach sink. He was taking them out to meet Whitebeard for the first time since they stepped foot on the ship. Her heart had to have been pounding in her throat as she stared at the pirate. He walked in to help get them up out of bed. They might have been healed but they were weakened, Sabo especially. The nurses freaked out more over his body than Skye's. He had been malnourished for seven years. He had broken bones that healed improperly so they had to re-break the bones under anesthesia. He was covered head to toe in bandages. Skye helped the healing process as quickly as she could. She cast spells when no one was around, draining her energy but helping aid Sabo. Three broken ribs, one broken arm, a shattered shin bone and several broken fingers later, Sabo was healed, to the surprise of the nurses, much quicker than he was supposed to. Skye felt proud of helping him, even if he didn't know it.

She got to her feet. She had enough energy to get by on her own, but Sabo was still hurt. She walked over to Sabo's bedside and helped him stand. She was glad she was borrowing a crewmate's clothes. She was glad that someone had also lent Sabo a shirt. They were going to see Whitebeard so they had best look their best. Skye took Sabo's hand, leading him to the deck. She had to shield her eyes because of how bright the sunlight was. But she adjusted quickly. The deck was crowded. All of the crewmen were on the outside of the railing, leaving a path for the two to travel to face Whitebeard. The man was sitting in a seat. Medical devices were hooked to him. Nurses were hovering about here and there. Skye swallowed. They were watching this like it was going to be a spectacle, as if they were waiting to watch a blood bath that Whitebeard would induce, or perhaps Thatch or Marco would kill them.

"Ready?" Skye questioned.

"No," Sabo responded.

"Let's go…"

They started walking towards Whitebeard. Skye held onto Sabo's hand and led him down their path. Her – dare she say friend? – leaned against her as she took the lead. However, he set the pace. She kept in step with him, not wanting to move too fast for him, not wanting to make him stumble and fall. Soon, the two were fifteen feet away from the great pirate, when Skye decided to stop. She looked up at the pirate, a neutral expression set on her face as she faced the man. Sabo was nervous. She could tell by the sweaty palm laced in with hers. She gave his hand a firm squeeze, assuring him that no matter what happened, she would be there for him. She would fight for him. She would die for him if she had to. She realized now that he was a good person that genuinely cared for her. He was all she had now. Her father, her brother, her spells, her heritage, it was all stripped away because the Nobles thought themselves above humanity.

"It's good to see you're awake," Whitebeard said, "You gave my sons quite the scare."

"It's good to be awake," Sabo said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir…"

Sabo bowed slightly so Skye did the same. She just kept holding Sabo's hand against all odds. Whitebeard would have to kill her first if he wanted to separate the two of them. She took a deep breath, trying her best to keep calm. If she lost her nerves then anything could happen. She took a deep breath. Her heart skipped a beat when Whitebeard shifted in his seat, eyeing the both of them with a sort of dark suspicion. Skye wanted to defend them from whatever thoughts he had. They were good people. They had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The marines chased them. She just wished they had gone the opposite direction of the storm, if they had only done that they wouldn't have been captured by pirates. But things were as they were, there wasn't any changing it now.

"Now my only question is why two slaves were in the middle of a storm like that," Whitebeard said.

It wasn't a question that they were given the choice to answer. They had to answer. Perhaps even dire consequences were left with not answering. Skye bit her lip. She looked over at Sabo, wondering if it was okay to discuss this, their enslavement, their capture, their escape. Whitebeard was a wild card in their escape plan, one that could alter the course of their entire flight. He could throw them to marines to barter his safety for his crew. He could enslave them himself. He had the power after all. He could kill them both and dump their bodies to just wash his hands of them, waiting for the marines to find their bodies. He could drop them off on an island and forget that he ever saw them. Skye preferred the last option, so long as the island was human inhabited. Sabo merely nodded, as if he knew she was waiting for his permission to speak about their escape. She took his nod as a yes, but even with his permission, she had to muster up her courage.

"We escaped," Skye explained, "We're on the run from the World Nobles. We're not going back into no matter what happens."

"Gurarararara! It's amazing that someone as tiny as you can have such a big mouth!"

Suddenly the crew started to laugh, as if she had made a hilarious joke, not a threat against their captain and possibly his crew as well. She flashed a smile so dark it could have been considered a sneer at the pirates. Just because she was a woman that didn't mean she wasn't as strong as they were. Sure, she could only do white spells but some white spells acted as defensive/offensive spells if you used them properly and she could use them properly. Skye wrinkled her nose. The glare on her face might have terrified other men, but not Whitebeard, not his men. She wondered if the man actually thought about what he said before he said it. She was half tempted to believe that he didn't because it was quite rude to call someone a big mouth without properly knowing them, knowing it to be a fact.

"So what do we call you two?" Whitebeard questioned.

"Sabo and Skye," Sabo replied.

"What do you are you brats going to do now?" Whitebeard questioned.

"I… had _wanted_ to sail the world, sir, and write a book," Sabo explained, "And I'm not sure about Skye…"

A warm smile made its way to Skye's lips as she thought about Sabo's promise, the one he told his brothers – Ace and Luffy. She had told him that she could write, because she could write his story for him and give it to Luffy and Ace. Sure, it wouldn't entirely be his work but it would still be work that was done in efforts of his dream. She would discuss it with him later, when they were alone, when the pirates weren't listening in on their every word, monitoring their every movement. Sure, she was tentative about Sabo's plans on becoming a pirate. What mage wakes up one day and decides to be a pirate instead? Not many. Very few had ever left her island to go and make something of themselves ashore, but those that did were sometimes criminals and otherwise desperate to do something that they had to do.

"What a foolish notion…" another pirate mocked only to his friends but Skye heard him, "A blind slave sailing around the world. You can't even take care of yourself let alone anyone else…"

She turned over her shoulder and glared at this mocking pirate. He didn't even flinch under her gaze but she wanted to throttle him until she saw blood. How dare he mock Sabo's dream? Sabo deserved whatever happiness he could obtain. No one should try to stop him from accomplishing that goal. He had suffered through seven years of torment to start his adventure, like he told his brothers he would. She knew the value of a promise like that. It was one that was not supposed to be broken. If he had to have help then, she would give it to him. However, there were moments in time where a woman lost her temper. It didn't matter how sweet she may be, how kind, polite, soft spoken, loving, and patient, it was going to happen. It was just the way the world worked. And unfortunately, many of these times were caused by a man, typically one without any intent to do so. This was one of those moments. It was no surprise to her when she felt molten fury boiling inside her chest so deeply the fires of Hell felt cold.

"Shut the hell up!" Skye roared.

Now the entire crew was looking at her in surprise at her spiteful outburst towards the pirate. Even Sabo, whom one would assume to have troubles figuring out where she was standing, stared at her in disbelief because of her passionate outcry at the injustice done to Sabo's dream. It was, after all, just a dream. If they mocked it, they mocked it. He felt he had to give up the dream anyways. No one had ever heard of a blind author writing a book. A fire burned in her eyes, passionate and dark, cursing the mocking pirate to the ends of the earth. She started marching towards the pirate, making the man back up out of fear. But she was defenseless against him. She had no weapon, her magic couldn't be channeled as easily, she was still healing from her burned tattoo and he was probably more apt to fight than she was.

"It doesn't matter that he's blind!" Skye screamed, "_I'll_ be his eyes! So he can't write! _I'll_ write it for him! He can't sail? _I'll_ do it for him!"

Marco actually jumped to her side, parting himself from his crewmates. He was at her side in the time it took her to take a single breath. He grabbed her from behind to keep her from lunging at the man who had mocked Sabo. The man cried out in fear as she glowered at him. She had never intended on fighting the man but she would not stand by and let Sabo's dreams get beaten down by a man who didn't even care about the hardships they faced. She knew that dreams were what kept Sabo alive so long while he was a slave. The hope that the dreams provided was enough to push anyone to fight for their life for so. She pulled and fought back against Marco's hold as much as she could but his grip was like iron clasped around her biceps. She was kept away from the man, but she still felt the anger inside her boiling in her blood like a poison. She growled under her breath, glaring daggers at the man.

"You bastard, who do you think you are deciding what he can and can't do?" she shouted, "It's his life!"

Skye was angry. Sabo knew that all too well. She felt like the world couldn't care less about her or Sabo. So she would fight for the both of them against anyone who decided they couldn't do something. She was lonely, almost to the point where Sabo could feel it himself. She had watched everything precious get ripped away from her in a mere day. She still had the strength to stand. He wouldn't be surprised if she cried herself to sleep at night, while she thought the others onboard were asleep, when there was no one around to see the liquid pain and utter remorse running down her face. He was tempted to take her hand and hug her, the way Dadan did once, when she was feeling highly sentimental. In fact, he only remembered being held by her once, and that was after he got very sick and the doctors told her he might not make it through the night. Luffy and Ace went into the forest with the doctor to find the plant that could cure him. They luckily found it in time. After he got better, Dadan hugged him for about thirty seconds before hitting him over the head for getting so sick in the first place. Makino held him more often than Dadan, though he tried to be tough and act as if nothing was wrong but she knew better. Makino was like a mother to him while Dadan was more or less a standoffish aunt.

He just wanted to tell Skye that it wouldn't always be so bad, that eventually things would get better for her, perhaps for the both of them. But she was heartbroken, a shattered remnant of whom she used to be. He might have actually have liked to have met that girl before she was locked away in the deep recesses of Skye's heart but now all that remained was the standoffish and angry girl before him. Sabo reached towards her. He stood in front of her, pushing her back, away from the other pirate. Skye looked up at him with saddened eyes. Her eyes were practically overflowing with countless emotions as she swapped stares with the former slave's schooled expression. Sabo was used to being put down. He could shrug it off, but Skye had flown off the handle, not because she had been insulted, but he had. It was strange for him to have someone defending him after so long of being used to being put down.

"A bastard like you really gets on my nerves! You're totally clueless!" Skye screamed, "You have _no_ idea…"

Something about the way she'd said that, with the acidic hatred in her voice, left everyone without a reply. Skye bowed her head, trying to keep the tears out of her eyes. She didn't want anyone to see her cry, especially Whitebeard. Sabo frowned. All he saw before him was a teenage girl who had built herself on restraint and patience. She put her honor before her own desires and goals. He found it stupid, obviously, but he knew stubborn Skye had practiced mind over matter so long that her wishes waned to the wishes of those around her. Now she was standing up, but she was recoiling because something the pirate had said insulted him. It made no sense for her to defend him. They hadn't known each other long enough to develop true emotional attachments yet but apparently, knowing him was enough for her to defend him. A dark passion burned in her eyes as she glowered at the pirate.

"You have _no_ idea…" She repeated but then even softer she said, "What is truly precious…"

A brief sense of vindictive triumph shot through Skye when she noticed the severely hurt on the pirate's face. She didn't care anymore. In meeting Sabo, it hadn't taken her long to accomplish two things: she had gotten hopelessly tangled in Sabo's charisma and she had managed to get hurt once again by the acts of others around her. The heard something shifting. The entire crew looked up to see that Whitebeard was now walking towards the two teens. Skye shrugged Marco off her and pulled Sabo behind her, protectively. With his height, Whitebeard easily towered over the mage and as he took a step closer, Skye's oxygen supply seemingly decreased, but she didn't back away. Only frightened animals ran, weaklings ran. Skye would not give Whitebeard the implication that she could be controlled. But then he reached towards her. She felt her mouth go dry. She closed her eyes, waiting for a blow that could end her life but she felt a gentle touch on her head. She opened her eyes to find that Whitebeard was patting her gently, like a kitten.

"Spunky brat…"

"Haggard geezer," she automatically taunted.

This mockery brought an explosion of laughter from the older pirate. The crew laughed with him. Skye's eyes were different from any that he had seen before. Her sweet emerald eyes seemed to drink in the sights around her. Never before had a shade of green quite like hers existed. Whitebeard found that whenever he looked into her eyes he found something that seemed as if they could read the hearts of other people, inside and out, and gauge their intentions. She might even have eyes that other people would have a hard time meeting. Whenever Whitebeard moved he could see an ability to read people that could only come through years of experience, and an unnatural maturity that should not exist in someone so young, watching him through eyes that moved when he did. He just pat her head again before sitting back down much to the delight of the nurses who had been fussing since he had stood up. They reattached all of the machines.

"If your dream is that important, fight for it… Izo."

One of the division commanders stepped up. Skye swallowed. She understood where this was going. Whitebeard wanted them to fight, perhaps even for their freedom to leave his ship. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life on the Moby Dick, not when she had already come so far. She could now make her own decisions without her village or her father influencing her, to do what she was obligated to do. Her village must have thought she was dead by now and she saw more of herself than just being a medical only mage on the island. It wasn't even a job she chose, it was chosen for her. A man stepped forward, though, Skye noted, he was dressed as a woman. Izo wore a pink and purple kimono. He had a pale complexion and hair tied in a way resembling that of a geisha. He also carries another light-red spotted cloth tied around his waist. She paled as he pulled out two flintlock pistols. Skye wished more than anything that she had her spell book. She would be able to channel her magic much better with it, than without it.

"Skye, you can't fight…" Sabo whispered, "Anyone who harms a Son of Whitebeard pays for it."

"Whitebeard's the one instigating the fight, Sabo," Skye said, "In fact, I place a hundred beli on my win."

"I'll take the wager!" Thatch said, "Izo will win!"


	6. Chapter V: Introducing Blue Masquerade

Sabo already knew the pain she was going through. He just hoped she came to see the light before it was too late. He felt that Skye's main weakness was the fact she put her morals over her heart. She would laugh. Sabo was the one who noticed that she was hiding something behind those laughs. He knew the trick too well since he did it sometimes. He had been in the same position before, maybe when he was first starting out as a new spirit in this new world. She had lost the passion that was inside of her. The fire inside of her was dying. She was the angry and complicated puzzle that he now focused a part of his attention to. She would follow Sabo, as she promised on deck in front of all of Whitebeard's children, that she would help him with his dreams. Sabo felt horrible. He didn't even know if she was putting her dreams aside for his.

The moment Skye defiantly opposed the man's assumption about Sabo it felt to him as if he were seeing the true Skye for the first time. Some manner of camouflage had been removed, revealing the sharp, proud characteristics of the teen. She held a fierce, blazing fire in her soul that oftentimes was diminished to a mere flicker of light. She clearly only took the responsibilities that were given to her, because she felt obligated. She was not a weak, brittle girl only suited for the simpler things in life, watching in remorse as her dreams were crushed into dust. She was far from that, in fact, though still managed to not give off the impression that she was insensitive and coldhearted, for she indeed held her 'heart on her sleeve', so to speak, at least when concerning misery and regret. But as she prepared to fight, whoever Izo was, he felt himself being drug away.

"Skye, don't fight him!"

"Just sit back with Thatch," Skye coaxed, "Everything will be fine. You'll see…"

Sabo bit his lip. He had to do something to help her. Sure, he could fight with a bo staff. It had been since before his blindness though. It had been years since he had such a weapon in his hands. Slaves weren't exactly allowed to have weapons because the Nobles feared an uprising from the enslaved. He didn't even think he could use the weapon with his handicap. He didn't think there was anything he could do anything involved in the sea. There had to be something that she could use fight off the man though. He tried to remember something, anything they had in their possession. Then in a moment of sheer brilliance he remembered the bags he had grabbed. He grabbed the person pulling him back, trying to garner his attention. He hoped the person was looking at them. He thought it might have been Thatch but he could have been mistaken.

"Um… Our bags," Sabo said.

"Yeah, let them use something from their bags to help even the fight…" Thatch said.

A man threw the two bags to Skye's feet. The crew watched her warily as she knelt down, hoping with all her being that Sabo had grabbed something she could use. She opened them up, hoping to find something, anything. Inside the first one she found clothes, a random dagger and an empty container of water. Skye pulled out the dagger and despaired. She held it up with an apprehensive look on her face. A dagger against two pistols was no contest at all. The gun would win. She didn't fight with weapons but even she knew better than to bring a blade to a gun fight. She took a deep breath and then opened the second bag. Her heart soared so high she thought her heart was going to burst from her chest from the delight she felt. She could have kissed Sabo. Delight filled her entire being. Inside the second bag, wrapped in coating to protect them from water, were her spell book, her father's spell book and her brother's spell book. Tears welled up in her eyes. She put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from sobbing.

But she also knew that using her magic would also be a bad thing for her. She had already broken to rule of using magic on and in front of non-magical people. The magical court would be furious if she ever came back to her home, even if it had been defensive and accidental magic. She took a deep breath – a life as a pirate or going back to her home to be punished. She swallowed thickly. She had made her promise. She would help Sabo accomplish his dreams. She would use her magic regardless of the punishments toward her. She had made a promise and her promise was more important than anything that could happen to her. She would deal with the other mages when the time came. She just had to make sure she was strong enough. But the emotional pull she felt in her heart from the conflicting emotions was putting off the battle. She took a deep breath and ran a hand over her eyes, ridding any tears that may have shown up.

"Thank you, Sabo… Oh, thank you so much…"

Skye pulled her book out, leaving her father's potions book and her brother's pyro-magical book inside the book. She picked up the bags and walked them over to Sabo. She was ready to defeat Izo. He really stood no chance against her now that she could channel her magic. She smirked as she opened her book. She even tossed the dagger aside. The blade became embedded in the ground in front of Whitebeard's foot. Skye just smirked. She felt much better now, having her spell book. She could now defend herself, fight back. She knew that many sailors had little to no exposure to magic. She had the ace in her sleeve. She had a good chance of winning because she had been exposed to gun fights and sword fights. Izo laughed at her choice of weaponry. A book looked like no threat compared to his guns. But she knew better than to judge something by the cover. Her book was the only weapon she needed. She could feel her magic channeling through her body now that she had her medium.

"The book won't save you girl."

"Shows what you know…"

Izo made the first move. He brought his guns up and pointed them at her. Everyone expected Skye to try to jump out of the way but she just smirked. She flipped the pages of her spell book casually, as if she had all day. Izo fired a warning shot at her, aiming for a non-vital region, to warn her not to underestimate him. He wanted her to recognize that his guns were more dangerous than she thought they were. She knew how dangerous the weapons were. She knew that if she didn't have her book, her spells wouldn't be able to channel as well. She had yet to reach that age where her magic had matured enough to use it without a spell book. His eyes widened when Skye's book glowed with a strange bright yellow light. The bullet hit a seemingly invisible target before rebounding. She had personally made a shield to protect her, visible to only her. The bullet just dropped to the ground, all momentum lost. The bullet was still in perfect condition. She had made sure of it when she cast the spell because she didn't want the bullet to be wasted. Skye looked up at Izo, smugly. The entire crew stiffened at the sight of her new ability.

"W-What-?"

"Scared now?" Skye questioned.

His eyes had been wide but when he saw the look on her face he glowered at her. He then decided to shoot again and again in rapid session. The bullets merely rebounded. When he ran out of bullets Izo put his one of his guns away. He pulled a sword out from under the light-red spotted cloth tied around his waist. Skye barely had time to duck when he lunged towards her. She practically dropped to the ground. Strands of straggling hair were cut and floated along before falling. But Skye had already rolled out of the way as Izo spun around to swing at her again. Izo gave a wordless yell as he ran at her. He brought down one sword, holding back the gun in his hand. Skye dodged, and realized that he had attacked with the blunt edge of the blade. A few more narrow dodges confirmed her assumption. He wasn't trying to kill her in the least. She wasn't sure to appreciated the kindness or to be offended because he didn't think her enough of a threat.

While she was distracted with the sword in his left hand, he flipped the gun her, and butted her in the stomach. The air wasn't knocked out of her, but the moment of shock gave him time to strike again, this time more carefully aimed at something that would knock her out. Her vision blurred as he struck her in the side of the head. She stumbled and hit the ground heavy. A few of the men started chuckling to themselves, talking about how she owed Thatch one hundred beli. She had managed to keep her book in her hands, at least. She lay sprawled out on the ground, trying to shake off the dizziness she felt. She turned her head, finding Sabo in the crowd. He looked worried and confused for her because of what the crew was saying. He had no idea she still had a fight left in her. She grimaced. She couldn't let him down, not after declaring she would help him. Despite the pain in her head, she forced herself to stand up. Her body protested, practically begging her to give it up but she pushed harder.

Izo cautiously approached her again. Skye bit her lip. Then she startled the pirate by throwing herself back into the fray with a wordless shout. She soundly punched him in the stomach and jumped back, still keeping a hold of her spell book. She then spun, and kicked him in the chest, though it only really served to startle him. When he stopped skidding back, she had created distance between the two of them. He hissed under his breath and pulled a container of bullets out of his kimono. Skye growled. She flipped through the pages of the book and found the spell she wanted by the time he had already reloaded the gun. Her eyes widened when he pointed the gun at her. She threw herself to the side, kart-wheeling out of the way as bullets embedded themselves in the deck of the ship. She landed soundlessly on her feet as she ended her acrobatics but pain made itself known in her shoulders. She hissed as she went to one knee, touching her shoulder blade in agony.

Before she knew it, Izo was running towards her with his blade raised to attack, perhaps even finish her off. Skye sneered at the man. She raised her arm, prepared to block the blunt strike but then decided better of it. She rolled out of the way and kicked at Izo's feet. He hit the ground with a grunt. Skye quickly straddled his waist. She used her magic to hold his hands down as she pressed the dagger to his throat. She had been lucky enough to cart-wheel past it and grabbed it in a hasty, last second, decision. She was breathing heavily. The battle had taken more out of her than she thought it would have. Her back was burning like she was being branded again. Too much activity had hurt it. The nurses looked like they wanted to run to her side and make her get off him, to check her wounds but they stayed back. They were waiting for Whitebeard's permission to take care of her, like they wanted to.

"I… win…" she breathed.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed, "Looks like you have talent, brat!"

Izo opened his eyes and saw Skye's green eyes narrowed into a fierce, focused glare. Her dagger was pressed firmly against his throat in a threatening manner. He could tell that if she moved the blade at all, unless it was moving away from him, his skin would tear. He had expected her to kill him, in fact, he still expected it. She could end his life at any second. Instead, Skye got to her feet, pulling the dagger away. She offered Izo a hand with a solemn expression on her face. When he didn't take it from her, she smiled and spread her fingers a little wider, waiting for him to allow her to help him. Izo hesitantly took her hand and allowed her to help him to his feet. The crew looked impressed with her, but really she was just using basic spells, nothing extraordinary like her brother's pyro-magic or her father's potions book. She wondered that if she applied herself she could use their spell books as well. She had never considered it before.

"Why? Why won't you finish me?" Izo demanded.

"Well, I'm not a real pirate… Besides, it goes against everything I know to kill a man," Skye said.

She closed her spell book. She flicked her hand almost in a bored manner as she waited for the spell to activate once more. She could do basic magic without incantations but intermediate magic, for a white mage at least, required more incantations than that of other mages. The bullets he wasted on attempting to shoot her flew out of where they had embedded themselves. She held out her hand. The bullets landed in her hand, in perfect condition. The damage to the ship slowly melded away, as if it never existed. She handed the bullets to Izo before walking over to Sabo. Before he could question who it was, she hugged him tightly. She could see Thatch swearing under his breath, because now he owed her one hundred beli. She could also see Marco, raising a fine eyebrow at the friendly gesture between the two former slaves. Skye rolled her eyes. She would let them think what they wanted to. She and Sabo were only friends. That is how it would remain as well. But now that she had stopped moving her back burned even more.

"Thank you, Sabo, thank you so much…" she whispered, "Those books mean so much to me…"

Sabo hesitated for a moment. But then he brought his arms up and hugged her back. He hadn't even realized that he even had the books. After they escaped the building, Sabo ran for it. He half-carried, half-dragged Skye away as quickly as he could manage, for not knowing where to go. He had ducked into a building to the surprise of someone inside it. But then a man from the bar had led him to the docks. He didn't know who the man was but the man had thrust the bags towards him, telling him not to let anything happen to them and then untied the row boat before sending them on their way. Sabo hoped to find out who it was someday. He felt himself smiling slightly. But then he frowned once he felt a single wet droplet fall onto his cheek. Skye was crying. He swallowed thickly for a moment.

"You're welcome…" Sabo whispered back.

"What exactly are you?" Izo demanded.

Skye let go of Sabo. She turned to face Izo, not before wiping the tears away from her eyes. The entire crew was looking at her worriedly. Skye smiled sweetly. The Council would go after anyone who knew about magic. It was supposed to be kept a secret. If non-magical people found out about magic, they would try to have the mages solve all of their problems with magic. Only the World Government and the World Nobles knew about the mages, not that they could find their island. It was protected by several enchantments as well as a Sea King that listened to only the strongest of mages. Skye's father had been one of those mages with the ability to make the Sea Kings listen. If Skye wanted to go back home, she would have to be stronger. Besides, if she did, she would be punished for using the magic. If a mage was needed elsewhere in the world, messages had to be sent out to the mage and the mage had to go to the person and they had the option of not leaving the island.

"That's a secret," she said.

She winked at him as she smiled.

* * *

><p>After the nurses led her to the shower and lent her a pair of clothes she found herself sitting on the figure head of the Moby Dick. The clothes were nice, a simple tank top and pair of black pants that a nurse said used to be a pair of Marco's. It was believable since that nurse in particular didn't seem like the type of girl to wear pants. She looked more like a dress and skirts kind of girl. Marco made a huge fuss about Skye wearing his pants, and cracked a few jokes about her being in his pants but he let it go in the end. Really, it was only after Sabo argued that a woman who wore dresses wasn't fit to be his first mate. The comment shut Marco up but it made Skye's cheeks glow. She was really going to be a pirate – the first mate of a pirate crew at that. It was nice on board the Moby Dick, maybe their ship would feel the same once they got one. But she still felt like an outsider looking in and she didn't want to intrude on their activities. She left them so she could have some time to think by herself and so they could have a few moments alone. She took their party as her cue to bow out for a moment. She sighed as she looked up at the sky.<p>

She couldn't see the stars due to the clouds over her head. She was able to recall the stars she had seen the night before Marco and Thatch found them. She closed her eyes, smiling at the image behind her lids. She didn't hear someone sneaking up on her. When someone placed a hand on her shoulder she jumped up, lunging at them and pushed them to the ground. Her attacker gasped in surprise. Then she saw a flash of blond. She froze, letting go of Sabo. She helped him sit back up with a slight blush across her cheeks. Skye was unable to look at him. Sabo didn't get up and leave her alone like she thought he was going to. He stayed by her side and looked up at the clouds over their heads. He seemed to understand what she was seeing even though it wasn't really there. Or maybe she was just reading too far into his actions. Sabo was a complex person. He was just full of surprises.

"Sorry I startled you, Skye…" Sabo said.

"It's okay Sabo," She assured him.

They fell silent as they just stared up at the sky, Sabo for a real lack of anything else to stare at. Skye looked over her shoulder to see that Marco was watching them. He was perhaps even the one who sent Sabo after her, a dangerous thing since Sabo couldn't see and could very easily fall over the side of the ship. Skye would pull him out of the water if that happened but she still didn't want that to be necessary. But together, they did a good job of ignoring their apparent chaperone. The two of them stared at the clouds above their heads, imagining stars in their place. It was comfortable and there was no underlying tension or stress. Sabo's silence was better than any question or comment that Marco or Thatch could have made or even have asked. He seemed to take away any problem or question that was plaguing her mind. She sighed but smiled at the plate. Sabo shook his head, drawing her attention when she saw the scraggly hair on his head move with each shake.

"You don't have to go through with what you said on the deck… About being my eyes… It was an old promise anyways."

Skye stared at him, slightly confused and very interested in what he said. She hadn't seen Sabo really open up but she wasn't going to stop him if he was willing to tell her a part of his past. But what she noticed was that he was speaking softly. She looked over her shoulder once more at Marco. Sabo didn't want Marco to hear what they were discussing, but had accepted the fact that they would not be walking freely around the ship without supervision of Whitebeard's crew. They might have passed Whitebeard's test but the crew did not trust them as far as they could throw the two runaways. Skye did not want to set herself up for another brawl. The first one she had endured with Izo was so draining magically she wanted to sleep for a year. However, she also wanted to go back to the stars, the only thing that kept them company after the storm hit, the one thing that was there, aside from each other.

"But what if I want to?" Skye asked, "What if I think we can really do it together?"

"I don't know…" Sabo admitted, "I'm a dangerous person to be around, Skye. I was… born a noble in the city of Goa on Dawn Island."

Skye turned away from the clouds, forgetting her small game of pretend to look at Sabo surprised. He continued to stare off at nothing, lost in his own thoughts and too consumed by them to see that she was watching him with curious eyes. She tilted her head to the side and blinked owlishly. Marco watched them silently, not seeing a young woman who tried not to care about strangers that were in her life but now did and a blind boy. He saw a young girl, with eyes far too old for her face and a boy tormented by a past that he couldn't escape. Her heart ached for Sabo. Both of them had been wronged by Nobles, him even before her. Even Whitebeard's crew had some beef with the Nobles. There hadn't been a single person that she hadn't met that hadn't been wronged by the dark self-righteous monsters that dared to call themselves human. She sighed softly, her eyes taking on a sad and weary look as she crossed her arms across her knees and leaned forward, dangling her legs off the side of the figure head.

The very name of the World Nobles was a curse in her mind. The word was like bile on her tongue and the very thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She hated them with every ounce of her entire being. If she had the chance to kill one, she might just throw her non-violent ways just to have that one chance of harming the people who ruined her life. Her passionate hatred for those inhuman beasts burned like black fire in her heart. The 'humans' had fallen short of any standards that she had hoped that they would reach and it was a disappointment to watch it. It was like a demon wearing the guise of something good and pure. The whole thing was a joke. The only thing the World Nobles were good for was murder, death, suffering, slavery, and loss, all those hopes that others had held high in them, all those dreams — gone forever. It was gone and there was no trust.

The World Nobles would squash anyone who got in their way, consequences be darned. Skye knew that people had become so afraid. She had been afraid of Marco, Thatch and Whitebeard. She still was. She was afraid they would be exactly like so many people she had met. It was more than a royalty. The Nobles saw themselves as an organization of gods. They really were untouchable demons wearing human garb to fit in amongst the mortals. They could decide who lived, who died, what towns got power and which didn't. No one dared to defy them in fear of retribution. They played with hearts and lives of the people under them as though they were pieces on a chess board, pawns in a game. They held all the power, all the money, and because of it the world was dying. They could live comfortable lives because they were taking away from the life and will of the people.

"If my family finds out I'm still alive, they might come after me again. Maybe this time to kill me. Stelly has probably already taken over as the heir to the family."

"Who is Stelly?" Skye asked.

Sabo was silent for a moment. Skye stiffened when she realized she may have pressed him a little further than she should have. She cursed her insatiable curiosity. She reached towards him but hesitated and let her hand drop. She didn't really know how to comfort him. She had noticed that he had stayed away from other humans as much as he could. It was probably because every touch he received since becoming a slave was painful one so he expected all other contact to be painful as well. She bit her lip out of worry. She would have to reintroduce him to human touch sometime or another. She was going to be his first mate. He also needed to tell her touch apart from everyone else, in case she had to grab him out of battle or something else along those lines, so he could tell her apart from an enemy and from friends.

"My parents thought I wasn't a good enough son, so they adopted him as a 'back up' heir…" Sabo said softly.

He looked down in shame, as if to say, _'Don't touch me. My flaws, my scars, my pain, they'll only hurt you, too.' _But he didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything to her, even if he had wanted to. He just couldn't push her away from the fear that she'd stay away from him for good. He just stood there and memorized the feel of her fingertips near his hand and he hated himself for being so weak and selfish. He had no idea how Skye could stand near something as bruised and dark as him. She suddenly stopped. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder and she was holding onto his arm with her hair curtaining her face and keeping her expression out of his line of sight so he couldn't see what she was thinking as she leaned against him, holding him as if he were her only tie to the real world. She seemed to be afraid to let him go, as if he would vanish as soon as she did. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her close but that would have taken their friendship a bit far. He didn't want to lose her as a friend.

"That's a pretty lame…" Skye said just as soft.

"What?"

"Your parents suck!" Skye continued, "I get that they're your family and all, and you can't pick family but they are horrible…"

Both of them fell silent at Skye's blunt words. She would tell it to someone straight when she felt like it. But when a family abuses someone's heart like that then she was automatically one to jump the guns of defense. For example, when Sabo was insulted, she growled and spat in fury, because he was close to her, perhaps not personally but emotionally and mentally he was. She would be stupid not to feel an attachment to someone she had survived an ordeal with and after learning a bit of his past she had to help him. A promise was a big deal on her island. If they were broken it was practically as horrific as committing an act of treason. Skye had already done both. She had made a promise to her aunt to stay safe and keep out of trouble. She had used magic in front of non-magical beings – one of the greatest acts of treason there were. If she didn't have a bounty from the World Nobles' attempted assassination, then she would get one from her village for breaking the Code of Mages.

"So, what about your family?" Sabo asked.

"Not much to say," Skye said, "Mum died when I was little. Gabriel went off on his own after that. We never were close but he was always there if I needed him. Dad poured himself into his… work."

The two of them sat there talking until Marco came over and insisted that they get some rest. He was probably just tired of standing out there, not hearing what they said. Even his patience could probably last so long, but Skye wondered if he really couldn't hear what they said because of the look in his eyes was different than it was from before, it looked softer. She shook the thought off. But both of the former slaves were tired. So Skye took Sabo's hand and led him below deck, deciding to start her life anew as a pirate was strangely the most liberating thing she had done in a long time. The best part was, that it was her choice, not something forced upon her by the Council, not something she had done to survive, not something forced on her by the Nobles, or Whitebeard or anyone else. She had decided to help Sabo.

* * *

><p>A month had passed since Skye and Sabo declared their independence of Whitebeard's crew. However, Whitebeard wouldn't have it that easily. He was a man of his word. They were not branded with his mark. He said something about not forcing them into a branding they didn't want, something both Skye and Sabo appreciated. The crew just wouldn't let them leave until they knew the two could defend themselves. They understood that despite the fact Skye was a girl, she was strong and determined just as everyone one else was. She did not socialize with the other nurses as much as the crew would have liked but they began to see her as a little sister all the same. The men worked with the two fledgling pirates, teaching them to fight, to navigate, to sail, to cook, and all of the other necessary talents to have to keep a person alive on the sea.<p>

As good as her word, Skye started to write every detail of their life together at sea, starting from the earliest moment she knew of. She was also questioning Sabo relentlessly for details of his life previously. She was working on his pre-slavery book as well. When she wasn't writing she was laughing and joking with the crew or training. Sabo and the others had to force her to eat and to sleep. She was depressed despite the fact she would joke around and tease the men relentlessly. She seemed to get a particular kick out of forgetting Teach's name. She called him so many different deviations of his name. She told Sabo personally that something about the man set her on edge. Sabo could only agree after he caught Teach hitting on Skye. He had come over, asking for Skye's help with something, pulling her away from the possible nasty situation. Neither wanted to get in trouble for actually trying to kill one of Whitebeard's sons, despite how much of a creep he was. But eventually, Whitebeard gave them enough beli to buy their own ship. Skye grinned up at the old man.

"Thanks, Pops…" Skye said.

She had come to see the man as a second father, despite not being a part of his crew. She and Sabo had their own dreams. They did align themselves as allies of Whitebeard, so they were under his protection just as much as his own sons were. If anyone attacked them or harmed them, Whitebeard's wrath would be brought down quickly upon the attacker. They were probably the safest unmarked crew on the Grand Line at the moment. Skye knew they wouldn't stay that way. They had already seen a fair share of troubles. They already knew how dark the world could be, but now, as they would sail through, it was time to see how good it could be too. At least, that's what Skye hoped to do. Sabo just wanted to write everything down. They would have a testament to the world to show just how everything really was.

"We will pay you back for this someday," Sabo agreed, "But we must ask another favor of you."

"Oh?"

"Don't tell anyone our names," Skye explained, "Unless we say you can. We don't want you to get in trouble for harboring us."

Whitebeard laughed loudly at just how naïve and innocent the two pirates were. They were what the others considered almost cute in a sad sort of way. Not many pirates remained that naïvely optimistic after sailing the seas. He was strong enough to handle anything. But this was the request of a man who he had come to see as one of his many sons. This son however, was just a fledgling who was spreading his wings and leaving the nest. It wasn't like he wasn't ever going to see Sabo or Skye ever again. He knew they would keep true to the promise to repay him someday. He was interested to see how they would accomplish it. He already had territory under his name and his protection. He had almost every pirate in the seas fearing his name and his wrath. Even Marines knew better than to go against him. No one had dared to attack any of his vessels in fear of his revenge, his strength and his crews.

"I respect a woman who stands up for herself," Whitebeard said, "Even if she does like sticking her nose in other people's business. And you boy, you've come a long way."

Both were proud of their accomplishments. They were proud of themselves for becoming the children Whitebeard could be proud of. Before long both of the teens were standing on a beach, holding hands and waving goodbye to the Whitebeard crew as the crew they had come to know, love and grow to be a part of sailed away, leaving them to start out for themselves, become their own pirate crew. Skye felt tears rolling down her face. She was leaving a part of her family, but it wasn't like she wasn't ever going to see them again. She looked over at Sabo, surprised to find that he was crying too. She took his other hand in hers and turned to face him. They had finally gotten far enough to make it on their own. Nothing was going to stop them now, not marines, not other pirates, not even the World Government.

"We're really going to do this," he whispered, "Seven years I've waited…"

"Better late than never."

* * *

><p>Their first crime had been stealing a marine ship. All of the ships were too expensive to buy with the money Whitebeard had given them. Skye had a feeling he knew this and had given them only enough to get buy for a few months for a reason. But all of that aside, she had been very proud of her handy work. She had used her magic to freeze the marines in place. She and Sabo then removed them from the ship and sailed off, taking weapons, food and medicine with them. They left enough for the town to get by. In all honesty, it had taken weeks to commandeer the proper ship. Neither of them wanted to steal from a group of honest marines, so they researched, finding a group of corrupt marines. They had turned over all the evidence, pointing to the fact that the marines were running a drug ring and were aiding in the kidnapping of several young women to sell in the markets in Sabaody Archipelago. Needless to say, the men were arrested. The mysterious group who turned them over was offered a reward that was then given to the town, because of a letter that Skye had written – signed Blue Masquerade.<p>

"We made the front page of the papers," Sabo informed Skye.

"Oh, and how do you know?" Skye questioned.

He held up a newspaper, showing the headline 'Blue Masquerade Pirates: WANTED' to show her. Either Sabo felt the ink and traced his fingers over the letters, or he found someone to read it to him while they had still been docked. With his sweet face he could get most anything done for him, especially with his regal manner about him. He had gotten quite a few girls to swoon when he was ashore. It helped get information, by playing the handsome, yet tragically blind young man, to get information. But the reason they were wanted criminals now, must have been for the fact that they had stolen the ship. The reward money was real, and was in fact given to the town, but it had been a trap to lure them out of hiding. Skye smirked. They were wanted pirates now. She felt oddly pleased because of that. She looked out over the side of their ship. Now they needed a crew, men to help them accomplish their mission. They most certainly couldn't sail the ship on their own forever. Skye could only do so much with her magic. She could do all of the rope work, riggings and everything but it left her drained every time.

"We're fine. It's only a name and no picture."

"Anyways, it appears we'll be working outside of the law now, and that's my area of expertise."

"I feel safer already," Skye said.

Sabo laughed richly at her apparent sarcasm. He had changed since he had become a pirate. Naturally, his muscles were more defined, hidden underneath a well tailored blue suit. A black kerchief was in his pocket. His neckerchief was a white color that Skye had stitched their Jolly Roger on. He had black leather boots, black pants, and a black belt with a golden buckle. He had a white shirt on underneath his sapphire blue jacket. A gun was in the holster strapped around his waist, as was a sword. He could use both deftly. What defined him the most was a black mask he wore around his face and a black bandana that covered his hair. Above his bandana he wore a blue top had with strange hexagonal goggles around the rim. He made Skye describe his clothes to him in the greatest of detail. To her, clothes were clothes, but these were apparently important to him, so she indulged him. She described everything from thread count to the color until Sabo was pleased with what she was telling him.

Skye looked up above. Their Jolly Roger swayed proudly in the wind. She reached into a barrel, finding a bottle of sake and two cups for the both of them. They did deserve a reward for their newly acquired bounty. She poured a glass for herself and poured a glass for Sabo. She took the news paper from him, handing him the cup in its stead. Sabo grinned, already knowing that she wanted to toast to their newfound bounty. They would truly celebrate once they garnered themselves a crew, but for now, the two of them were perfectly happy with it just being the two of them. Sabo would not trust the rest of his crew as deeply as he did Skye. She was special to him – a true friend that he could depend on. This was his new life now, a wanted pirate and finally starting his dream of writing a book that would tell the world everything.

"A new chapter to a new life," Sabo said aloud, "Take a deep breath…"

"And plunge head first with your eyes closed," Skye finished.

Their glasses clinked together. They drank, toasting their new life. And so the Blue Masquerade Pirates began.


	7. Chapter VI: An Established Pirate

**I've posted the Blue Masquerade Jolly Roger on my Deviantart page. The link is: http: / kudai-kita . deviantart . com / art / Blue-Masquerade-Jolly-Roger-283292427 (remove the spaces)**

* * *

><p><strong>3 Years Later:<strong>

"Oi, Nami, there's a boat!" Luffy called.

Nami walked out of the cabins. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the boat floating along their path, blocking the way. It was there, as true as Luffy's word, just floating along innocently. If the boat didn't move, or if the Merry didn't change direction, then there would be a collision, something that the Merry should try to avoid at all costs. They had already obtained so much damage after entering the Grand Line. It was only fair to try to make sure it lasted as long as possible. Nami glowered at the boat, ready to call for the others in case there was an attack. She was positive that Luffy could handle one person but it was always better to have back up, just in case that person turned out to be someone like Mihawk or one of the other Seven Warlords. Heaven forbid that the Warlords agreed with Crocodile and had come to back him up. Luffy was strong, but not that strong after all. She would hate to have a suicide mission.

"Hello!" a voice called.

"Hi!"

A woman stepped out from behind her sail. Above her sail was a Jolly Roger. Nami paled. The woman was a pirate. There was a skull, with a dark top hat on. In the skeleton's mouth was a blue rose. However, despite the flag she bore, the woman seemed friendly enough. She smiled upon seeing Luffy and his crew. Nami noted that she had a smile on her pretty face that made her emerald eyes sparkle just slightly as her smile reached her eyes. The girl the navigator was surveying was wearing a light green shirt and tan cargo shorts. What made her stranger was a white cloak that was draped over her, despite the day already being nice. Her long chocolate colored hair draped over her shoulders. It left her emerald eyes completely open and visible for the world to see. Nami hadn't seen eyes so green. She wore a white cloak and a bright green emerald shirt. Nami could see that she wore a blue sash around her waist and black pants. Her shoes were easy to obtain, so she had obviously not spent a lot of money in how she looked. She looked to be a very sweet girl, standing on the ship, but people could still smile and be a villain. Bon Clay was a good example of that. He had come aboard their ship, stolen their faces and then reported back to Crocodile with all the information. She could be a Baroque Assassin for all they knew, sent to finish them off before they reached Nanohana.

"Terribly sorry about this," she said, "Just let me get out of your way."

She grabbed the ropes and riggings of her ship until a wind caught the sails and altered her course. Eventually the Merry and her ship were sailing side by side. The woman kept a hold of the ropes as she looked up at the crew, to keep her sails in place instead of tying them down. It was a smart move on her part, just in case she needed to quickly escape the Straw Hats. But she seemed nice enough. However, her boat had been well worn, well loved, but highly abused by the rough Grand Line seas. There was a portion of the mast missing. If the woman pulled back, she might just destroy the mast, stranding her there. It was practically a glorified row boat. The small shelter built on top of her boat, had a hole in the side, a sure sign of cannon fire. She had undergone a battle in her dinky boat and had survived, which surprised the crew. It questioned how strong she was physically in order for her to survive what seemed to be a vicious attack.

"I had to ask, but would you happen to know where Alabasta is?" the woman questioned, "You see, my log pose got smashed in a storm."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Nami demanded.

"Well, honestly?" the woman questioned, "You can't."

Luffy frowned as he looked at the newcomer. He tilted his head to the side, folding his arms across his chest as he sat with his legs folded upon the figure head. He considered his options of whether or not to trust her. She was polite. She was also quite honest when she was asked a question from what he noticed. She had greeted them. But she was strange and mysterious if anything else. But not everyone they had come across on the seas was evil. Coby was a far cry from dark, evil and malicious. Johnny and Yosaku were good guys too. The thought of his other friends almost made him smile. But this all went down to whether or not they could trust her, if she was a trap by Baroque Works, or if she was acting alone. She didn't look like someone ready for battle. Luffy didn't know many pirates who politely greeted someone before battle. Even Smoker didn't greet him before trying to beat him into the sidewalk.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked.

"Amelia Emeralds. And you?"

"Monkey D. Luffy!"

Amelia smiled. He reminded her of a little child. He struck her as a genius of spur-of-the-moment plans. From the rumors she heard, he had enough determination to out-stubborn a mule and enough smarts to do just enough work to look good. The rumor grapevine was practically aflame with stories about a special Monkey D. Luffy. She most certainly didn't mind. It made collecting information so much easier. She had long since stopped getting the newspapers. The World Government only printed crap in the papers anyways, about special marines, or sally-sob stories of the woes of the government. It was hard to come across an actual bit of news from the papers. Just because she didn't buy the papers, didn't mean her Captain didn't. In fact, he sent her to check out Alabasta because of something he had seen in the papers. Ever the dutiful crewmate, she went, albeit hesitantly. Now her trip was really worth something after meeting Luffy.

"I've heard of you," she commented, "The first rookie with a 30 million beli bounty. It's a proud feat for a rookie."

"I know!" Luffy cried delightfully.

But then his stomach grumbled loudly, enough to make her wonder if he hadn't swallowed a bear cub or some other potentially dangerous wild animal. Amelia smirked as she heard the sound. Luffy groaned, throwing himself dramatically over the figurehead. The red head cast him a dark look, putting a hand to her stomach as well. The frowns on their faces were enough for Amelia to read, almost as well as any book. She wondered where they had sailed from. If they were beginning pirates, perhaps they did not realize that they needed to gather more food than they would if they were sailing around the East Blue. Anything could go wrong in the Grand Line. A single wrong turn of the sails could be the end of a pirate, especially if someone didn't sail along, find them and offer them aid, or if they didn't find another ship to attack for supplies. Amelia had been lucky to find them but she had supplies enough to take care of herself.

"So hungry…"

"Tell you what, in exchange for directions to Alabasta, I give you some of my supplies. You look like you're a bit down on your luck, friend."

"Do you have meat?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"I think I do…"

She tied down her ropes and disappeared below deck. She had gone into her small kitchen area, finding things that she knew could help the crew. She had no idea how many crewmates Luffy had, but she approximated at least ten. She had enough food to get herself to Alabasta. She wasn't supposed to spend more money, but she had her own funds to count on. Her Captain wouldn't appreciate it if she used more of their money. They were saving it for emergencies. Nothing dire came up, but if she were starving he would encourage her to use the money. He wasn't frugal at all. He just hated to waste. She grabbed a sack and started to add food to it, wondering if they would be gone by the time she got up. She was testing her luck there, to hope that they would remain while she gathered supplies to offer them, but something in Luffy's eyes made her feel like he would still be there when she got the food ready, not only because he needed the food and he was starving, but because he was genuinely curious about her. Of course anyone would be curious when a stranger appeared out of nowhere.

"Quick Luffy, we can sail off before she can catch up!" Nami hissed, "What if she's a member of Baroque Works?"

Now the rest of the crew had come out on deck to see what the big commotion was about. Zoro had been training on the back of the boat. Therefore, he did not hear the conversation towards the front of the boat with the potential knew enemy. He did however eye the new boat with a dark suspicion. Sanji had been once again searching the cabinets for something, anything for everyone to eat. He had enlisted Chopper's help in this effort as Vivi watched. She had tried to help but Sanji shooed her away, stating he didn't want her overworking herself. Usopp had rolled his eyes. He was working on a new weapon for Nami, so she could defend herself from enemies. Should she, Chopper or himself get separated from the monster trio, they needed to be able to fend for themselves. Chopper was most likely the one to be fine without the trio, but Usopp was a fan of running and Nami had no weapon therefore any means of defense, unlike Usopp and his slingshot, were practically nonexistent.

"What's going on?" Usopp asked.

"A nice lady is going to give us some food for directions!" Luffy said delightfully.

"Nice lady?" Usopp echoed.

Amelia had already appeared on deck. She had a sack in her hands. Her eyes widened as she took in the new crew, and the yellow bird which walked out onto the deck. She blinked, taking them all in. There was Luffy, his red headed friend, a strange man with three swords and green hair, a blond in a suit, a long nosed curly haired man, a reindeer, a woman with blue hair who was hanging back almost fearfully, and a duck. She shrugged. She had seen stranger crews across the Grand Line. But with the strangers came new experiences. There was nothing she loved more than being exposed to something new, culture, food, songs, stories, and her list went on. Luffy's eyes remained glued to her sack, as if he were mentally picturing whatever she had brought to gift him in exchange for her directions. She did need to make it to Alabasta relatively quickly. She had someone waiting there for her as a part of an extended job.

"So do we have a deal, Mr. Monkey?" Amelia questioned.

"Sure! You can just follow us because that's where we're going!"

Amelia blinked in surprise at his blunt honesty. But then she smiled at the young, youthful captain. She hadn't met someone that truly honest in all of her travels across the seas, all three years, two months and fourteen days in counting. She had never felt freer than when she was sailing across the seas, wind in her hair, cannons and gunpowder hovering around her like a fragrant perfume, the white gulls calling overhead and everything seemed to taste better on the sea too. She assumed it was because she would work harder on the seas than on land. Her hands were now calloused where silky smooth skin once stood. She had lost any baby fat her body once held. She could wield a sword, shoot decently well, navigate, and with her abilities she was her ship's doctor. However, her Captain required all men to know the minimal knowledge in medicine, should she not be there to help save them.

"So long as you don't mind the company, I suppose I could accept your offer."

"Wahhh! I must be the luckiest man on earth to find such a beautiful angel descend from the heavens bearing gifts of life!"

Amelia frowned at Luffy's blond crewmate. She wondered if he had been dropped on his head as a child but then shook her head. That was a rude assumption to make of someone she had just met so she kept her mouth shut about how awkward it was. He was hitting on her, though he didn't know her, but besides that, he wasn't her type. Hesitantly, she tied the sack of food to the end of a pole. She lifted the pole as high as she could as closely as she could to the other ship. There was a good twenty feet between their two ships. Their boat could easily crush hers, but hers could also damage the hull of their ship. Luffy instantly reached out for it with open arms. His elasticity of his rubber arms surprised her, if only for a moment, but then she was smiling once more. So the rumor about him eating the Gum Gum fruit was true after all. He really was a rubber man. She almost wanted to call them out. They were revealing so much to a stranger. If she had been an enemy she could already have started a strategy to defeat the crew. Lucky for the crew, she was not their enemy.

"Wow, Amelia! Thanks so much!" Luffy cried, "Sanji, you can cook now!"

Luffy handed the supplies to the blond man in the suit. The blond was staring at Amelia with a strange look on his face, as if she were a prime rib ready for the cut. She wasn't sure what to make of the man. But apparently he was the ship's chef. What she didn't know was that the man was well tempted to bring her inside their kitchen, make her sit down at their table and eat whatever he would make with her own supplies. She looked like she had not had a very good meal in her entire life, let alone the last week and a half or so. It would actually depend on how long she had been out there just sailing along, minding her own business. She was a very skinny girl. By no means was she willowy but she did not a have a lot of meat on her bones, either. She was curvy, but not overly so. She just simply was too skinny for him. It had to be unhealthy to travel the seas with little food and yet she had given them most likely all that she had in exchange for information. It just about broke his heart. A damsel in distress should never have to barter for what she needed in order to survive. It simply wasn't fair.

"Oh, Amelia, you must be an angel to give us such saving grace upon which-"

"Just go cook it already!" another man yelled.

Amelia just nodded. She walked to the front of her ship and leaned against her figure head. It wasn't large enough for her to sit on like Luffy did with his but it was just a nice way to relax. She could lean against it and watch the sunset. In fact, she had done so many times. Sunsets were always her favorite times to watch. The sea was always so peaceful during that time. The beauty of the sun sparkling off the water touched her heart and calmed her spirit, despite any inner turmoil she might have been facing before watching the sunset. However, the day before she had to fight her way through another storm and her log pose did get smashed on the way. It was completely accidental. She had the shards in a bag so she could properly dispose of the ruined pose when she reached land. She would have found her way to Alabasta eventually, but she would have wandered for a bit aimlessly. Amelia turned around only to find Luffy's swordsman – the green haired man on leaning on the rails of the deck.

"What are you doing out here on your own?" the swordsman demanded.

Amelia shrugged. She looked out to the sea. There was nothing for miles around. They were truly alone. Now if the pirates wanted to attack her, they very well could. No one would stop them. Amelia would be on her own fighting against them. She was outnumbered, but she still counted on her own strengths to keep her safe. She would have been fine. She supposed the fight might even have gone into a stalemate, but she didn't want to test to try it out. She felt that Luffy would be the one wild card that she wouldn't be able to predict as well as the others. As she eyed over the crew, she could see who the fighters were and who the watchers were. Luffy, the green-haired man and Sanji were the fighters. The reindeer, the long nosed man and the woman with the tattoo on her shoulder, were the watchers. Though she felt that if pushed hard enough, anyone on that crew would fight to defend the others, even at the cost of their life if it were absolutely necessary.

"Sailing from one island to another, just sort of moseying you see…"

"Moseying?"

"I'm just a traveler…" Amelia supplied, "Just looking for a bit of fun."

He narrowed his eyes as he glowered at her. It was plain to see by the look in his eyes that he did not trust her in the slightest. If give the chance, they would sail on without her, food be damned. It wasn't Amelia's first time being under suspicion of crews she tried to help on the Grand Line. Nothing was as it appeared. She understood why they were wary of trusting her, but when they denied her help the first time, she normally followed them at least a day's pace behind them. Then she helped them all she could. They would normally be desperate enough to accept her help by that point. She would help them with directions, supplies, or other things.

"But what do I know about fun, isn't that right, Roronoa?"

The swordsman stiffened. His hand went to one of his three swords at his hip – the one in the white sheathe, the only one that really stood out against the other two because it wasn't black like the other two were. He was prepared to attack her just to get rid of her. She could feel her own sword underneath her cloak, a small short sword but enough to defend herself. A woman shouldn't go unarmed on the seas. Amelia felt a smirk on her lips. She raised both of her hands in an act of surrender. She truly meant no harm by what she said. She was just trying to show she was not to be slighted. The last crew had tried to raid her ship so she had to teach them a painful lesson as to why they shouldn't underestimate their opponents, especially one bearing gifts. But really, what good pirate didn't know the bounty hunters or the former bounty hunters for that matter? It was a part of staying alive.

"Relax, friend."

"How can I relax? You know an awful lot about what we're doing…"

Amelia just continued to smile as kindly as she knew how. It was always better to be kind than to be bitter. She found that if she was good to someone, they normally returned the favor somewhere along the line. Her crew always made good to collect those 'debts' from those she helped because that was what they did. What they asked for was never anything terrible. It was always something small. They asked for medicine in return so they could then turn around and give it to someone else who needed it more. Sometimes it was money, most often given to poverty stricken islands. But most of the time the trades were for information. In order to gain information, information had to be given to the crew. It also had to be good information, something they didn't know before they had been told. Then the facts were checked. If the information they were given was bad, faulty or a complete lie, the ship was attacked, raided and no survivors were left. It was just how things went. They only ever had to completely annihilate two crews before the other pirates realized that the Blue Masquerade pirates were serious.

"Let's just say it's my job to know things. I'd be dreadful in my trade if I didn't know."

"Trade?"

She turned over her shoulder, trying to see if she could spot the island on her own, because if she did, she would take the fastest wind out of there. She didn't want to be around a crew that would kill her at any chance they got. A single drop of the hat could start a fight. To her dismay, the island wasn't in sight so they had at least a day to a day and a half's sailing, to get to the island. She sighed and turned to face the swordsman. A sword was drawn within a heartbeat. Zoro wanted to fight her. Amelia looked over at him with a grin on her face that was almost considered a leer. A few seconds later, her feelings caught up with her thoughts. The smile became more pleasant – more suited for the eyes, gentle. Did it matter? Either way he still would not respect or trust her. She was just as dangerous without a blade as he was with one, let alone with three. She had never seen a man who used three sword style in her time on the Grand Line, but newer and stranger things had sailed across her paths. Swords were the least of her concern, particularly pirate swords.

"Please," she sighed, "You aren't going to get anywhere with vinegar."

"What are you talking about?" Zoro growled.

She shook her head. You catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar. Sugar was sweet and naturally it attracted more to it because of its appealing taste and delightful aroma. Vinegar was bitter and made Amelia's tongue curl. She couldn't understand how anyone could eat it without using it as cooking ingredient but some of her crewmates used it as a topping instead. They ruined their potatoes that way, though she had no room to talk. She preferred her potatoes with some herb or spice. But the point was he was acting like vinegar did, bitter, hateful, loathingly. She was trying to pass for sugar, good, sweet and appealing. She had already won over some of the crew with a relative ease. They were naïve, almost cutely so. She remembered when she and Blue had been the same way when they entered the world of piracy. No one remained completely untainted by what they saw on the Grand Line.

"Oh, Miss Emeralds!"

Amelia looked up quickly at the sound of her name. She was reaching for something in her cloak but then froze when she saw Vivi leaning over the side of the boat. The princess was delighted to see the young woman in the opposite boat. The mysterious woman relaxed after realizing it was just the princess. She let go of the knife that she had seized under her cloak. She wasn't in danger. The crew wasn't attacking. She was safe for now and there was no need for alarm. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart rate down. Normally, when her name was shouted so frantically, it meant a marine was nearby, trying to capture her, or who they thought was her. Once, she had to actually save a woman who had been mistakenly called Amelia Emeralds. Turned out, it was actually the woman's real name. Amelia stood and bowed low to the princess above her, with her hand pressed over her heart, never once did her eyes break contact with Vivi's. It was only proper to show the proper respect to a princess like Vivi, especially since she knew the young woman so well. A pleasant smile was on her lips.

"Princess Vivi, it's a pleasure to see you once more."

"Wait, you know Vivi?" the red head questioned.

"Miss Emeralds helped Igaram and I escape Alabasta. She also got us into Baroque Works," Vivi explained.

"Oh, so she's a good guy," Luffy said.

Amelia and Vivi exchanged looks. Both women were smiling. Amelia had been worried about the princess since the moment Amelia pulled the strings she had to get Vivi a number position in Baroque Works. The company wasn't exactly known for an accommodating life style. It was constantly filled with danger and missions that could be considered suicide. A few times Blue Masquerade had to step in and complete a mission in order for Vivi and her partner Mr. Nine, but they only did so in order for Vivi's cover not to be blown and so she could get important information because she was a high numbered rank. She then had to send said encrypted information to Amelia and Blue. It was business, but the Captain and the first mate would have done it anyways. Dragon of the Revolutionaries was starting to gain interest in the island and there was only bloodshed once he got involved because he led the revolts and uprisings himself.

"I believe so," Vivi said.

"You believe so?" the red head questioned, "Don't you think you would know so?"

"Don't worry," Amelia assured the crew, "I was looking for Vivi. Mr. Nine sent me after his failure to protect you at Whiskey Peek. He told me it was his Kingly duty to protect other royals, baby."

Vivi giggled at Amelia's impression of Mr. Nine. Amelia smiled. Sure, she made a fool of herself but she didn't care. Life was too short to live without laughter and smiles. The princess did need someone there for her to make her feel better. She had the weight of an entire country on her shoulders, a burden that Amelia wished on no one because she had seen from experience what it could do to a person. Dragon had killed the last monarch who had grown mad with power. Amelia did not believe that Vivi's father was that way. She wanted to prevent a battle as much as the princess did and as much as Blue did. Countless people could lose their lives because Mr. Zero was playing them all like chess pieces. And really, that's what they were doing, playing chess. It was a dangerous game, where the pieces lost not only the game but their lives. The way Amelia saw it, everyone in Luffy's little crew involved in this scandal was like a chess piece. Some were pawns, many of them being Luffy's friends, but then the ones in the back row were Crocodile and Luffy, opposite sides.

Crocodile was the black chess piece, Luffy the white.

To Luffy, however, his pieces weren't allowed to be pawns. Vivi was the queen piece, however she had the ability of the King piece. She needed protection more than the King piece did. Her friends were all in the front, guarding her, while some others closer to her heart were the people by the chess piece's side. Zoro was one of the bishops that stood right next to him on the chess board. Sanji would have been another bishop, but only to promote the rivalry between him and Zoro. The role of the Knight seemed suiting for Usopp. Nami might have been a Knight as well. Chopper and Karoo would serve as Rooks. She wasn't sure where to place Ace on the pieces of the white side, or where to place herself, besides, Ace wasn't staying with them to save the Kingdom. He wasn't the sort to do that. And as for herself, she was nowhere near powerful enough to possess the power of the pieces in the back row, because she wasn't a major player in this game of chess, and she didn't have the power to be able to use said strength she had. But she possessed more strength than a pawn.

She was a wild card, a token who had a will of its own and one of the more dangerous pieces of the game. Had there been other pieces to choose from then she might have been it. But for now Crocodile could place her as the pawn, albeit reluctantly for it seemed like an underestimation of her abilities. The rest of their friends were pawns, but very well protected pawns. By no means were they simply the sacrificial pieces in the game. The other, more powerful, pieces would have protected them with their lives, jumping in to save them the instant those pawns were in danger. They had loyalty and friendship, something strong and unbreakable, no matter what Crocodile would throw at them. They had endured it all and threw it right back at him with as much vehemence that he couldn't help but be overwhelmed. Crocodile didn't have these loyal pieces. He was the lone King with his pawns. He may have used Miss All Sunday but Amelia had a feeling about the woman.

"Well, if you're a friend of Vivi's, you're a friend of mine!" Luffy declared, "Why don't you come onto our ship?"

"I would hate to impose."

"If Luffy's okay with it, then it wouldn't be imposing," Vivi offered.

Amelia smiled at the Princess' logic. Luffy nodded firmly in agreement with Vivi's words. He was practically bouncing in delight on his figurehead at the prospect of having Amelia on his ship. She saw no reason to be overly excited for her. He was rather animated enough to welcome her – a complete and total stranger – aboard his ship without a qualm, without even a question as to who she really was. Had she been an enemy, this would have been an opportunity worth dying for. But she wouldn't harm a hair on Luffy's head, not when he was being good to her, not when Blue told her about him. In fact, she almost knew Luffy as well as Luffy himself did. It was only because Blue had told her everything there was to know about him, not that Luffy had known that. No one really knew about her knowledge and just how far it extended.

"Of course, Princess…"

Amelia grabbed a rope off the deck of her ship. She then tied it to the figurehead of her ship with Timber Hitch. She finished it off and tied a Backup Knot. She threw the opposite end up to Luffy. He caught it with ease before handing it to another one of his crewmates to tie it. The long nosed pirate sighed and took the rope to the back of the ship, tying it there, so her boat wouldn't crash into the side of theirs. Nothing he did would perhaps convince Luffy otherwise about letting her on the ship. Amelia simply walked up the rope after it was tied. The long nosed man paled when she perched herself on the railings. He yelped and scrambled away from her. She was used to being considered dangerous. She was used to being treated like she was if she were someone that could not be considered trustworthy. Amelia merely smiled at him kindly.

"Thank you," she told him.

* * *

><p>Amelia had been introduced to the entire crew. Zoro, Chopper, Nami and Usopp didn't trust her in the least. Nothing she said could convince them otherwise so she just let them do as they felt that they had to in order to protect some of their other crewmates. Luffy liked her because she gave him food. Plus, she was something new, something he hadn't seen before, strange and unique. Vivi liked her because she had helped her in the past. Amelia had been a good friend to the princess and her country. Sanji liked her because she was a 'beautiful flower' that had graced them with her mere presence upon the cold and harsh sea that surrounded them. She had laughed because of this but did everything in her power to convince him that he did not need to refer to her as such. Needless to say, Amelia was amused by the crew and their antics.<p>

"We're almost there. It's not good to be all excited about it," Nami said then she turned to Vivi, "But I gotta admit that it's asking too much of you at this time… Do you have the strength to stop the rebellion?"

Vivi was standing near Merry's figurehead, watching her city grow closer and closer. There was a sad and apprehensive look on her face as the city grew nearer. There wasn't much they could do for her anxiety. Vivi had a lot on her shoulders as she tried to Amelia watched as the princess shifted in nervous anticipation. At one point the mage would have tried to comfort Vivi, but she had the Straw Hat crew to do so for her. They would be good and kind to her. She would sit back and watch, to see what it was that made the Straw Hat crew tick the way they did. They were curious enough entities in the sea. Not a single pirate crew that had crossed Reverse Mountain had done anything like Luffy or his crew. She had done things again and again to help other crews, but mostly it was with gathering information on marines, or help on escaping said marines.

"I have what's Ameliailable to me. That doesn't include assurances of peace in the short term, though," Vivi replied.

The port of Nanohana was coming closer in their sights. Before long they arrived in the desert island's port. They were still far from the city, just a few hours of travel until they reached the city. They would be forced to anchor the ship in a sandy region of the coast, or risk being spotted by the marines that could have possibly been patrolling the area. The golden-yellow color of the mountains and rocks was dominant in the landscape, although a colorful point made its presence known in the distance. Beauty aside, the desert hid a secret that Amelia was after. She was sent by her captain to find out what it was that was happening in Alabasta, helping Vivi, meeting her other client aside. She was there for information, just like she had been ordered to do. They had a client who was interested in finding out what it was that going on in the sandy land. They also had a bright curiosity that she and the crew had to have sated. Only by learning what it was the desert had to offer, would that curiosity be sated. That was always how the crew worked.

"Guys, I'll say this only once. From now on, we must behave carefully," Nami cautioned.

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji cried passionately.

"Does that matter right now? Er… 'cause, Nami, the person you should worry about the most is already off," Zoro commented.

"Food!"

Luffy ran from the ship and into the desert, not towards the city itself, to Amelia's surprise. However, Amelia smiled, almost at ease with the captain's antics. His retreating figure grew further and further away from the ship as his crewmates stood by and watched him run. She was delighted to see such a charming young man on the seas. After being a pirate for so long she was used to the darker side of the pirates of the sea. Luffy was refreshing. She was the one pirate she had been looking for who could bring hope. He was good, with the biggest heart that she had ever come across in her time on the seas. Amelia would do anything to help this one pirate to reach his goal, to become the Pirate King, to find the One Piece. She had never been interested in information on One Piece before but now she felt a desire to know.

"Get back here!" Nami shouted.

"It's official. He's completely hopeless," Usopp commented.

"What can we do about him?" Vivi wondered worriedly.

Sanji tried to calm her down. Amelia smiled at the blond pirate. Despite how strange she thought him, Sanji had just as good of a heart as his captain. She knew in her heart, the rest of the crew was just the same way, even Zoro with his gruff and seemingly darker heart. It would only take time for his truer nature to be shown. She looked out over Alabasta. Zoro and Usopp had taken care of the anchoring. She had tried to help but Zoro shooed her off, glaring if she might add at that. She had tried to convince Sanji to let her help clean up, but the cook refused. She had tried to look over sea charts with Nami, only to have the navigator shrug away the maps from her. Amelia wasn't welcomed amongst the crew, aside from Luffy and Vivi. Luffy kept asking her about different things she had seen. Amelia had left things vague, but had told him what little she could.

"Relax, Vivi-chan… we just need to look on the noisiest places. He'll be there for sure," Sanji assured het princess.

"Well, kiddies, it's been fun," Amelia said, "But I have a few errands I have to run before I fully claim to protect the princess like Nine-boy wants."

"But Miss Emeralds-!"

Amelia smiled at the over worried princess' apparent fear. She put a finger to Vivi's lips. There was nothing that Vivi could say that would make Vivi do anything other than what she had to do. Vivi wasn't the only person that Amelia had to work to please at the moment. There was only so much time in a day for her in order to do everything it was she had to do. She sighed deeply as she tried to collect her thoughts, to figure out what it was she had to do. She ran her hand through her hair. Then found interest in her hands instead. There wasn't much she could do at the moment but once she hit the sand her feet would be moving for a good while. She had to meet the second client, speak to him about whatever it was that he needed to know. Then she had to regroup with Luffy and his crew, find out whatever it was that Crocodile was hiding in the desert sands, and then she had to meet with another client. She was a busy person. She would be running herself ragged while she was in Alabasta.

"Relax, Princess. I'll be careful. I know what's going on. If I didn't, then I wouldn't be doing my job, now would I?"

"But Miss Emeralds, your boat!" Vivi cried.

"That's so you know I'm coming back," Amelia assured her, "I can't get very far without it, now can I?"

With that, Amelia was off, heading to the city alone, despite the fact that the Straw Hat crew was getting off the boat right behind her. Vivi looked like she wanted to go with her, which was something Amelia couldn't allow. It was bad business to mix jobs and clients together in the same room. The two could have opposing goals for all they knew, or they may want different information. No sense in letting the two clients get more information than what they paid for, by listening in on whatever conversation was to be had. No one would dare to call her unprofessional. She had things to do. They didn't trust her in the slightest. She waltzed into the sandy city with the ease and well mannered persona of someone who had traveled greatly in all of her time. And she had. There was barely an island left on this side of the Grand Line that she had seen. The New World was another story entirely.


	8. Chapter VII: Fire Fist Ace and Skye?

"Captain, Amelia has made it to Alabasta safely."

A blond haired man a black mask nodded to himself. He was tall, of at least 5' 10" in height. A lean muscular build was underneath a sapphire blue gentleman's suit of his, an outfit that he just couldn't seem to break himself of just yet, despite his many years in servitude, it was something of comfort he went back to, like Skye and her tea. They were comfort objects for the two former slaves. His top had sat next to him on his desk. There was a pair of goggles wrapped around the top hat as well. The man sighed to himself. He let his fingers trace the rim of the hat. Skye would laugh if she found out he was bored. Naturally, she always found that making fun of him made her day. Though, she would do so in a playful way that he just had to tease her back. He hated sending her off on information gathering missions alone. Sailing without her was boring enough, because a few in the crew treated her like the captain instead of him because of his handicap, despite the fact that Skye herself looked to him for orders. It was slightly frustrating.

"I see… Well, Domino, go get Orion for me?" Sabo questioned.

"Yes, sir…"

Domino left Sabo alone in his quarters. Sabo frowned. He was a wise captain, to be said the least. He knew the effect Skye had on the men of the ship, several unattached men with a single woman. So he made sure to fix the problem by gathering strong, independent women. They had Amber as a thief, Katarina as the cook, Sarah as a gambler and Irine as a swordswoman. Domino had never liked Skye. He hated being controlled by a woman, being in a position where she had more power than he did. However, he had almost fully paid the crew off so they wouldn't have to worry about him for much longer. Though, he had caused more than one dispute about how the power was given out. Orion was as good as a second mate as anyone else on the crew. Domino had come fifth, only after Katrina. Regardless of rank, Domino felt that he deserved more than what he was owed. Sabo was keeping a close eye on him in particular. Domino knew that if he tried something, he would be as good as dead. Sabo would kill him instantly. However, that did not mean that if he didn't see an opportunity to do something, he wouldn't try it.

Skye had spared no expense when she had been stealing items for Sabo's quarters. She said that if he was going to play the part of an intellectual, he had to look the part of one as well. She had stolen only from the rich when gathering the items for the room. There was a mount for a log pose in the center of the room. There was a cabinet of eternal poses to numerous islands in both Paradise and the New World. Sabo had stolen quite a few of the log poses himself. Their collection almost covered all of the seas the world had to offer. They had stolen other things, elegant things from Nobles and World Nobles alike since the day they escaped. They had an eternal pose pointing straight in the direction of Sabaody that was collecting dust, not that Sabo could see any of it. Skye and Irine were the ones who took care of navigations, not that the others were inept. The women just seemed to take control when it came to navigations.

"Sir, you called for me?"

"Ah, yes, Orion, come, sit down," Sabo said.

Sabo could hear things rustling around. Orion had sat down. Sabo smiled as he heard the clinking of glass and something being poured. The smell of tea wafted into the air. A cup was pushed towards him. His hand reached out and took the cup. He smiled at the scent. It was Earl Grey tea. It was amongst Skye's favorite teas. She liked Earl Grey, Tai, Peppermint and Apple Oolong. He added two lumps of sugar and a dash of crème. He hummed to himself as he stirred his tea with a spoon that Orion had put inside of the cup for him. His second mate watched him carefully. He always did have a silent sort of respect for Sabo that no one on the crew could seem to figure out except for Skye. She said it was personal, so she refused to discuss it with Sabo, whether or not he broached the subject or if she mentioned it in the passing. Skye was close to the assassin, or at least closer to him than the rest of the crew. Sabo did find him good company for tea, though Orion did prefer coffee to the herbal drink himself. It was still worth a good conversation if Sabo provided Orion's preferred coffee. It was a coffee bean brought in from the North Blue, hard to obtain but sometimes they were lucky on their raids of Marine ships.

"Amelia made it to Alabasta," Sabo said conversationally.

"In record time," Orion remarked.

Sabo nodded in agreement. He took a drink of the tea, relishing in the warmth of the drink in his hands. The taste lingered on his tongue as he hummed softly to himself. Skye did tend to get side-tracked from time to time when he sent her off on her own and even then she always tended to go to anyone who asked something of her. She always rushed to someone's need if she saw that they needed help or were in danger. She had a good heat. Sabo could only smile as he supported her. She had done the same for him so it was only fair he did so for her. He had seen so many people turn away those who needed the help the most. In fact, if someone asked it of her she would give them the shirt off her back. She would do whatever she could for others. She was perhaps a touch too self-sacrificial. He constantly had to scold her to make sure she looked after herself too. It was strange to find someone so caring, so giving. Many of the pirates they dealt with weren't like that at all. They abandoned those who asked for help while their crew flocked to those who needed the help the most.

"Could you go to Alabasta and leave her a boat?" Sabo inquired, "She needs to change her boat so she won't be traced."

"Of course."

"And she has new orders," Sabo said.

He pushed a scroll forward on the desk. Skye had developed a quill that would write what he said aloud for him, but it only worked for him. No one else would be able to use this gift that she had bestowed him with. She had only made it for him because he refused to allow her to fix his eyesight. It mimed the movements his hands would have made. Once he took a hold of the quill and it glided along the page, moving his hand with the quill, even dipping the tip in ink from time to time. It was an amazing charm that she had placed upon it. She was the one who made it the easiest to deal with being a blind pirate, but she was also the one who gave him the hardest amount of time because she could fix his eyes and then none of her measures would be necessary anymore. He would be able to see for himself. Granted, she also had the most amount of room to push for his restoration of his eyes because she had gone out of her way to make things work for him. Orion took the paper, judging by the way the paper crumpled moments after he let go of it. There were times where he wished to have Skye return his sight but he was afraid of what he would see. Skye had tried to heal him once without permission and it went sourly.

"Leave when you're ready," Sabo instructed, "But first, Orion, what do _you_ believe our friend Mr. Zero is up to?"

Sabo could hear the glass clink as it touched the table. The conversation was just about wrapped up. Orion never really was much of a talker anyways. He was a to the point sort of man who went in and got the job done and got out. He was gone as quickly as he came, sometimes that meant danger for those he was around, especially when he had been after Skye and Sabo for their lives. He heard Orion sigh deeply. He ran his hand through his hair. Sabo could hear the soft and gentle sound that others normally couldn't hear. He tilted his head to the side, waiting for the assassin's opinion on the matter. Orion was wise, naturally, as the oldest in the crew at thirty six. He had seen things and done things that would probably horrify the younger crewmates, but they never asked about it, he never told about it. They just accepted him for who he was because really, what more could they do for him? They could not change his past or make him someone he wasn't. He was a killer. He had taken his first life at twelve, or so the records told. Orion made no attempt to hide his bloody past, nor did he excuse it. He killed only when he had to.

"Treasonous activity to the World Government," Orion said.

"Is that so?"

"What kind of pirate settles down in one place?" Orion retorted.

"What pirate indeed…" Sabo agreed.

* * *

><p>Amelia laughed after Usopp and Chopper nearly fell for a golden apple scam that a merchant tried to pass on them. Honestly, the crew was a riot. It made her miss her own crew just a little but she had her job to do. But after Nami and Zoro exposed the trick for a sham, the two sobered up quickly. They were back to looking for Luffy. Amelia was just looking for her other client. She had run into the Straw Hat crew once more on accident. Nanohana seemed very nice, but even the nicest of places could be dangerous. Amelia knew this from experience. She had been to a delightful town once, no one questioned who she was or what she was doing there but then the inn keeper tried to murder her in her sleep for her belongings. Everything was already bustling with the morning business. There were vendors who had set up their stalls, stores opened for the day, the smell of lunch wafting through the streets.<p>

"Who's that?" Zoro muttered.

Amelia looked to see where Zoro was pointing. Then she noticed a man with an obnoxiously orange hat with two blue smileys, one frowning and one smiling, and a string of red beads sitting above the rim. Two long orange side straps were hanging down sides of his hat and met at a large medallion of a bull's skull with orange tassels. He had black boots, black knee-length shorts with an eyelet-studded orange belt, and a blue pouch belted around his left leg. He had a short second belt with a large red "A" on the silver buckle over his right hip. However, Amelia noticed it was left unfastened and threaded the free end along the back of his shorts. A dagger in a green sheath hung at his left hip. On the man's left arm, he wore a Log Pose and a red and white striped bracelet around his wrist, an orange elbow guard. Then she noticed how he sported a tattoo with the letters A, S crossed out, C and E. The letter S was crossed out. He also had a red beaded necklace.

"I just have one question, have you seen this guy?"

"Huh? His name's Monkey D. Luffy…"

Amelia smiled. She started to walk towards the man. She wasn't wanted like the Straw Hats were. Actually, she was, but the marines didn't know her face, just her name, or at least one of them. Alias' were the bread and butter of her trade. Someone didn't last long in her trade without a few safety precautions and amongst her crew, she was the most tedious about her safety precautions for her and for her Captain. She paused as a young couple walked by, laughing and teasing cheerfully. She watched them until they have disappeared from sight, as if he wished to be in their place instead, being the one laughing and smiling the way they were. She shook her head, to rid herself of the thought. She had her new life. She was a pirate – an information specialist of the seas. Her crew wasn't after One Piece. They only wanted adventure, daring challenges and to know the secrets of the seas that no one else did.

"He might in town here somewhere," the man explained, "I've been… looking for him for a while."

"Well, I've never seen him," the old fortune teller said, "If you want to find him, then I would suggest asking around that restaurant over there. The owner there seems to know everyone passing through."

"Thank you, ma'am…"

The man bowed to the fortune teller politely for the information. Amelia knew she had found the man she had been sent to help. If she ever forgot that face, she might as well as shoot herself for memory loss or turn herself over to the marines for the lack of doing her job as well as she was supposed to. Blue only spoke about him as much as he did Luffy. Plus, Ace was a part of Whitebeard's crew. If Amelia ever forgot the kindness that crew had shown her and Blue, she would turn herself over to the marines. There were plenty crawling around, apparently. She could see a few in stalls ahead of her. She could easily put those men to sleep if they threatened her. Or she could always modify their memory, but that took so much effort. She had to make fake memories and it used up more magic than she would have liked, otherwise they had this huge blank for the span of time she had erased. That alone was suspicious enough when questioned about it.

"A restaurant? Hmph… I was just feeling hungry anyway."

Amelia caught up with him as he started to walk away. She looked over her shoulder to see the Straw Hats watching her in horror because she was following the man who was hunting for Luffy. She very well could tell him that Luffy was in town and where he could find the Straw Hat pirate's ship if she wanted. She motioned for them to run along with a sort of shooing motion, like a mother, encouraging her children to run off and play at the park with the others. She sure felt like that sometimes. She felt aged and withered, or like butter spread over too much bread. But the crew shouldn't have been too concerned with her. They had to find Luffy, not focus on her business. Zoro narrowed his eyes. Naturally, he still didn't trust her. She shrugged and turned to walk in pace with the man. The man looked down at her with a smirk but kept his face forward as the two of them casually walked down the street as if they hadn't realized that they were heading towards the same place, or that they had been walking together all along.

"Power is created by knowledge," the man said.

"Knowledge is power," Amelia answered.

The man smiled down at her. He lifted his hat as he made sure that he could get a good look at her. She smiled at him in return. It had been a few months since they last saw each other. Amelia had been running around the Grand Line and the New World for Blue on several different missions that made it impossible to catch up with Whitebeard's crew. Amelia missed it. She missed the crew, the constant parties, Thatch's stories, Marco's training, Ace's narcolepsy, Whitebeard's laugh. She missed it all, but it was nice to see Ace all the same. She would have to ask Blue if it was okay for her to go and drop in on their favorite pirate crew after this mission. Granted, she had work to do before that happened, but she could always just take care of things quickly and be on her merry way. They all knew she was a busy woman and even a moment of her time was precious, worth money, aside from those she truly cared about.

"It's been a while, Skye! I almost thought you weren't going to show up."

"I'm going by Amelia right now. Skye's a little too well known around these parts for the moment."

"I see, well, forgive me Miss Amelia…" the man said.

She playfully pushed the pirate with a scowl on her face, but it wasn't a dark one. She wasn't angry at him for any reason. His manners did catch her off guard sometimes. She wasn't used to polite pirates with her line of work. She was used to the ne'er-do-gooders and scallywags that demanded information, paid and left or those who had tried to kill her for it. She normally had one of her crewmates do the killing. She had sworn as a white mage to never take a life. She had kept to that promise. If she did, she might lose her magic. No white mage she had ever come across had ever killed someone to find out the end results. She personally couldn't do it. She didn't want to take a life. She couldn't live with herself if she did, no matter how justified. She felt that if she did, then an important part of her would go missing, perhaps for good and that thought terrified her to the core. Blue understood her predicament. On dangerous missions, he sent back up for her.

"Settle down Ace… Now, I hear you're in need for some information. Whitebeard asked for me to come this way to help you out," Skye explained, "Lucky for you, I just happened to be in the area."

Ace laughed. He slung an arm around her shoulder, making a few people look at them with curious looks. Skye rolled her eyes. She might not be the most beautiful girl out there but was it really so hard to believe she had a guy friend, non-romantically? Who just happened to be extraordinarily hot both figuratively and literally? Apparently, that was too much for her to ask for. She might as well as enjoy the attention, since it made her feel like a normal person, instead of a pirate. It was nice to go to pirate friendly towns. Most of the villagers in islands like that normally did anything they could to stick it to the marines, aside from getting arrested themselves. They did harbor her and her crew during several sticky situations. The Blue Masquerade crew always paid back their debts so those civilians got whatever they wanted whether it be money, goods, free labor, company, aid with whatever tasks they needed, the retrieval of goods, and many more things. Skye's last encounter had been with a fisherman whose girlfriend had been taken by pirates. Skye rescued the woman and reunited the lovers.

"I suppose I am lucky… But first, what do you want in return for the information?" Ace asked, "You already repaid your debt to Pops so you don't have to give us information for free anymore."

Skye shook her head, disagreeing. A life debt was not easily forgotten, especially not for two people, not from what they were saved from. Skye made a face as she remembered. There were times when she couldn't sleep because of those memories, the bodies bobbing in the water, the screams from the marines, the blood, the fear of dying after escaping, the pain of her wounds, it all hit her quickly. Ace frowned. He watched her eyes grow distant. He knew he had said something too much, but wasn't sure what it was that he had said to upset her. He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to figure out what he could do to assure her he meant no harm. Skye then looked ahead with a neutral expression on her face. Ace frowned. She had gone into her 'diplomatic' mode as Thatch had dubbed it. She was emotionally distant when she spoke like that. She just completely shut down when this happened to her and it took everyone a while to get her to warm back up again to actually speak to anyone normally.

"We're not free from that debt until Blue declares we are free from the debt."

"When am I going to meet your friend Blue?" Ace questioned, "All of Whitebeard's other men met him."

"True…" Skye said, "But that's up to Blue. When you're ready, you'll meet him. That and he's a very busy man."

Ace sighed but let it go, though Skye really wanted him to press the matter. Truth was that Blue didn't want to meet Ace just yet. He was embarrassed of what had happened to him, what he had become in order to survive – a former slave. But his slavery was in the past. Skye and their crew were helping him overcome his past. He wasn't quite there yet. She still had issues talking about her past. The crew had no idea why their captain and first mate suffered so but they were as understanding as any crew could be, without knowing the cause of suffering. The two of them walked into the restaurant to eat. To her surprise, Ace pulled out the chair in front of him and let her sit first. When she sat down, he pushed her chair into the table. Then he sat himself. She smiled at the fact he was so chivalrous. The shopkeeper took their order and came back with food rather quickly. Skye had gotten some stir fry beef and Ace got one of everything the restaurant had to offer. She had to fight off a grin at the look on the man's face.

"So, what information did you want?" Skye questioned.

"I need news on Blackbeard. I heard rumors he was in Yuba."

Skye bowed her head. She bit her lip and looked up at him, fearfully. She had heard whispers, here or there about Blackbeard traveling on his own. At first, it had struck him as odd. She went to the Drum Kingdom, to find out if they had been true. She had seen the wreckage of what had been left behind. She had heard the accounts of every villager. Those villagers described him down to the missing teeth he had lost and his disgusting lack of hygiene. It was proved true. She had met a man named Dalton. He was a rather nice man. So as a gift from the Blue Masquerade pirate crew, she had left him a bag of beli and gold that she had gathered from stealing from marines. Blue didn't mind when she told him. He told her that they would keep an eye on that island to make sure to help out should they need more money. Now that Skye thought about it, everyone had been rather happy when she had stopped at the island. They told her that a pirate crew had defeated their former King. She had only run into Luffy and the others just a few days after. Luffy must have defeated the King.

"So the rumors as to what he did were…?"

"True?" Ace questioned, "Yeah, he killed Thatch."

"Oh god…"

Tears welled up in Skye's eyes. Her hands went to her mouth to keep any sounds from coming out that would alert anyone of her despair. She was trying to hold back a sob over the death of someone she had grown rather close to. Her meal was no longer as appetizing as it had been moments before. In fact, she felt as if she were going to be sick to her stomach. Thatch was a good friend of both Skye and Blue. He had been good to them, kinder than any of the pirates Skye had dealt with in the past three years. He had taught Skye the basics of sword fighting. He taught her how to navigate through the seas and the way the weather worked. He taught her how to predict bad weather which she was decent enough with but she found that Nami was a natural. Thatch had been the first one to warm up to them, the first to encourage Skye and Blue to follow their dreams, the first one to treat them like a part of the crew. It wasn't fair.

"I knew he… he… but Thatch?"

Ace stopped eating. He turned to face Skye. She had her head bowed over her plate as she tried her best not to cry in front of the Whitebeard's second in command over the death of the fourth division commander. The other pirate frowned. He looked like he wanted to do something to comfort her, but he just didn't know what to do with her nearly breaking down in hysteria. He swallowed thickly. He wasn't the one who was good with showing emotions. He was friendly enough with her, but he hadn't told her anything about his past or anything personal, yet she considered him a good friend. As her friend, he should know how to help her but he was also at a loss for words. He had never seen her cry before. While the tears weren't rolling down her face just yet, she was still watery eyed. He was pretty sure that even Marco would be taken back by this. Pops would threaten to kill whoever made their informant cry, because she was like one of Whitebeard's daughters, despite not truly being a part of the crew.

"I'm sorry, Sk-Amelia… I know you were close…"

Skye just swallowed thickly. She wiped the tears out of her eyes. Thatch wouldn't want her crying over him, like spilled milk or something as equally clichéd. She just couldn't help but feel sadness weighing her down like an iron weight clasped around her entire being. She couldn't afford to cry at the moment – not in front of Ace of all people, not in a public place where people were watching. People were watching them after all. Who wouldn't find a highly attractive young man interesting, particularly when he came in with a semi-good looking girl? Perhaps, she could cry when after nightfall when no one was awake. She could still lie easily to the Straw Hat crew. They couldn't tell when she was serious or when she was hiding something, unless she made an effort to hide it. She had actually put out that she knew more than she let on, because she wanted to intimidate them slightly. It usually protected her from attacks from the crews that she worked with.

"He… Rumor has it he is in Yuba… I heard he recently sacked Drum. He's been under the radar since. We've been keeping tabs on anything that sounds like him. Keith went to check out a recent rumor last week about him being in Kiwi Cove but it turned out to be false."

"I really am sorry, Amelia…" Ace said.

He was apologizing for bringing her the bad news about Thatch. It wasn't his fault. There was nothing he could have done to have prevented Blackbeard from doing what he had done. She took a deep breath, trying to lock away the dark emotions. The informant that she was always told her to be sweet and kind. It was the best way to obtain information. If her expression was marred with sadness, unless the situation called for it, then she would obtain less information. She was bound to find out about what had happened to Thatch in a little bit when she visited Whitebeard and his crew to report on Ace's progress, free of charge of course only to find that Thatch wasn't there to greet her with wide hugs and a happy smile on his face. She would have to contact Blue on her Den Den Moshi to tell him about it. He needed to know just as much as she had. Thatch had been just as good to her captain as he had been to her.

"No, it's not your fault, it was Blackbeard…"

Ace nodded with her words, but as the Division Commander in charge of Whitebeard, he had to kill the man for his crimes or die trying. Skye just had a bad feeling about Blackbeard. She always had the bad feeling about him, but now she was afraid of what he was planning. Because he scared she had never looked fully into him as much as perhaps she should have. She regretted it now. If she had done so, Thatch might have still have been live. She would have had reason to show the crew why Blackbeard was not to be trusted, instead of just avoiding the man like an abused puppy from its owner. Everyone noticed how she avoided the man like the plague when she had been on the ships previously. It just appeared to them that she just didn't like him, not that something about him terrified her to the core.

"I'm hunting him down."

"Ace, please, please be careful. I lost one brother already. I can't lose you too…"

Ace put a hand on hers. Though she and Blue weren't officially apart of Whitebeard's crew, they were the ship's informants, telling the crew anything and everything they could ever want to know about anything, even if they didn't need it. They found information that the crew needed or wanted and reported back to Whitebeard whenever he asked for them to do it. Blue always sent Skye to go and talk to them. He refused to go himself now that Ace was a part of the crew. He was still ashamed of being forced into slavery for seven years and of becoming handicapped. She refused to let him used the word crippled because despite the fact he lost his eyesight, he was still one of the strongest on their crew, especially when he got a staff into his hands. Skye let him do as he wanted to because he was her captain. She was just his first mate. Or perhaps even something about the sheer fragility of his empty porcelain face when the topic of his brothers was brought up. The crew knew better than to ask Blue about it so they went to Skye. She answered what she felt that she could. She left the rest of it up to Blue, because really, it was his past, not hers to reveal. She knew everything about her captain after three years of working under him. He knew everything about her after working alongside her for three years. It was a good partnership.

"I'm not going to die," Ace assured her.

She bit her lip, wanting to demand he not say that to her because just saying it made it seem possible. Then he turned back to his food, digging into one of his many plates. She turned back to hers as well, slowly eating because she knew that she had to. She had given up a good amount of provisions to feed the rookie pirates and the princess, seven times the amount of what she had for the rest of her time at sea until she got back to her crew. He had much more than she did, but she also knew he ate much more than she could ever hope to. His metabolism was faster than anyone's she knew, but it appeared his younger brother could give his older brother a run for his money on food consumption. Apparently, the reason Luffy and his crew needed supplies in the first place, was because Luffy ate all of the rations that Sanji had set aside strategically so that they wouldn't ever be hungry while sailing to Alabasta. He wanted to get a lock for the fridge so they no longer had to worry about Luffy eating all of the food again.

"Hey, listen," Ace called over the owner, "But you haven't happened to hear anything about-?"

Then he fell face first into his plate. Skye sighed. She had hoped that she had gotten over that, or at least had fewer attacks. His narcolepsy kicked in already. She ran a hand through her hair before turning to her meal. The patrons and other guests of the establishment, however, freaked out upon seeing him practically drop dead on his food. His fork was still being held in the air. If they had listened to him, they would have heard the snoring coming from him. It appeared that she would have to brew him proper sleeping potions before he left on his way again. Or perhaps she had some in her bag. She would have to check once they weren't in public. Her potions and ingredients tended to scare people when they saw them, because they were things like Eye of Newt, roasted Salamanders, feather of hawks, stones and other herbal things that looked terrifying but actually weren't. Ace was the only one who thought her potions were interesting, instead of intimidating. Even her crewmates avoided her when it was potion brewing day on their boat. The explosions coming from the medical bay put them off any questions they previously wanted to ask her.

"He isn't from here," the owner said, "We think he may have accidentally eaten a Desert Strawberry while traveling, not knowing what it was. Girl, did your companion eat such a thing?"

"Eh?" Skye asked, "How should I know? We just met up today. But I assure you that he's perf-"

"Uh, what is a Desert Strawberry?" another man asked.

She shrugged. If they wanted to ignore her then fine by her. She was just going to tell them that he was only asleep but if no one was going to listen, why waste her breath? She wasn't the one to repeat useless information to deaf ears. She turned back to her meal. It didn't look appetizing at all anymore but she forced herself to eat. Thatch would have been upset if she started to starve herself. A pang came to her heart. He had been like an older brother. She had slipped once, and called him that. He had only laughed and started calling her his little sister. It seemed that all of her brother figures just vanished from her life in the most violent of acts. First, she lost Gabriel to a bullet to the head. Now, she had lost Thatch in a murder most foul, that she most likely didn't want to know about or else she would break her own Code of not murdering people, another mage Code she had yet to have broken yet, and slaughter Blackbeard herself. But it was over a supposed Devil Fruit. Skye had no idea what the fruit was or what it did, but it would have had to have been something Blackbeard was looking for if he was willing to commit the worst treasonous offense and kill a crewmate for it.

"There's a species of poisonous spiders that look like red strawberries growing in the desert," the restaurant owner explained, "Anyone who eats one will suddenly die a few days later."

Skye frowned. She had never heard of the spider before. It would be another creature to add to her book of creatures, not to mention her naval log and her book about their adventures. She read what she wrote to Blue every night. Then he told her what he wanted her to correct, or what he wanted her to add on, or what he really liked. Soon, their collaborations would be able to get published. Blue was excited beyond all belief when he found out Skye's first hard back book was almost full. Their next challenge was to find someone to publish it. Not many people wanted to deal with pirates. It might even have to go under an alias of Skye's or Blue's in order to get out there, but they would get the book out there, even if they had to spend the rest of their lives trying to do it. Skye agreed with Blue's reasoning about why the book needed to be written. Children needed to realize that it was okay to dream, that they could accomplish great things if only they put everything on the line to make something of themselves.

"The infection spreads throughout the corpse and is contagious so no one can go near…" the owner said, "It's a quick but unpleasant way to go."

"You have to be careful in the desert," another man cautioned, "Anything you touch can kill you! Just look at the way his arm is still stuck up like that, holding onto a bite of meat."

"That's proof of just how quick the Desert Strawberry acts! It's an incredibly deadly creature."

Skye chuckled at the thought. The guests were trying to convince her to step away from his 'corpse' of her friend at any cost because they didn't want her to die as well, because it would be a tragedy if two people died together over the same thing. One man started tugging on her, thinking he was doing a good thing, being the brave and daring civilian that would save her life. Skye rolled her eyes and cast a shock spell. Every time he tried to touch her, harmless amounts of static electricity shocked him. Ace was not poisoned. She would have known the moment that she touched his hand. If the poison was contagious, she could cast a counter spell or whip up a potion to heal them both faster than the poison could spread. Also, if it went by contact, several more people should be hurting at the moment because a man had bumped into Ace, another had checked his pulse, the restaurant owner touched his hand on accident when giving him his menu. Suddenly, Ace sat back up. The guests were even more terrified than ever.

"He came back to life!" a man cried.

Skye laughed at the apparent fear and astonishment of everyone around them. She pulled a kerchief out of her cloak pocket and put it underneath Ace's nose. He had rice and meat bits sticking to his skin like stickers. She didn't doubt that a little child wouldn't find it entertaining to stick something on the face of a sleeping person. Even her crew liked to pull pranks on one another by drawing things on each other's faces if they fell asleep during the day. If he were on her ship, Zoro would be targeted immediately. He stared at it for a moment. They were an odd looking pair, Skye and Ace. Any person that walked into the moderately busy bar could see that. One had fallen asleep onto a high stack of empty plates, piled up on the counter, and shot back up like a rocket. The other was just eating quietly, politely and handing the other a kerchief while still eating. He blinked a few times, groggily, and then seemed to remember where he was. He gave her a half hearted smile. She smiled into her tea cup so he couldn't see how amused she was by the situation.

"Wipe your face off," Skye ordered.

Ace nodded and took the kerchief, wiping the rice and meat bits off his face. He gently shook the rice off the kerchief and onto a dirty dish, getting rid of all of the food on the once pristine fabric. It wasn't like it was made of silk, but he did know that it meant something to her because she had embroidered her Jolly Roger on it. She had made another one for Blue, except his was a rather valuable cloth. She preferred the simpler things of life but she knew when to indulge on the finer things and when to draw a limit. It was only because of their last year of work that they had been able to indulge in finer things, unless they stole them from marines, the World Nobles or from other disgusting royalty that did not care for their people. The Second Division Commander gently folded the fabric before giving it back to his pirate friend. She smiled and pocketed the cloth once more. If anyone said that Ace didn't have manners, Skye would beg to differ. It depended on the situation and who he was with. Then she took a drink of the water she had, acting as if nothing had happened at all.

"Sorry about that…" Ace sighed, "I fell asleep."

"You were asleep?" the other patrons shrieked.

Ace went right back to eating. There really was nothing to concern themselves with. It was, however, gathering them much unwanted attention. The last thing Skye wanted, or needed, was for the marines to come looking to see what all of the commotion was about. However, if she was with Ace, she supposed it would be worth it. She had given him information before. He had saved her life before. She supposed it was a fair enough trade. Besides, Blue favored him with information. It was plain to see, especially if he sent Skye to Ace every single time because she was his best information seeker and his first mate. If he felt he owed the crew less, he sent one of the lesser crewmates. If he felt the pirates weren't good enough to have any of his information, then he sent no one at all. The process was simple, but one of their unbroken rules that the marines, no matter how good they were, received no information at all.

"Th-That doesn't make sense! You were right in the middle of a conversation!" a man cried.

"And now you're just eating like nothing happened!" another man hollered.

Ace raised an eyebrow as he shoveled in another spoonful of the rice mix he was eating. Skye continued to eat as well. The food and the spices felt rather bland on her tongue, but the food was good enough. She had eaten worse. She was sure that Ace had as well. Devil Fruits were rumored to taste worse than Death itself. They had to deal with gruel or whatever fresh, pre-baked goods they could get their hands on when they were first starting out until Blue had found them a chef. That had been a marvelous day. Skye could cook very well actually. She just lacked the energy to do so after casting spells to keep them afloat and on the proper course. Blue knew she lacked the energy to do everything so he tried to cook for the two of them. She told him, later, that though she appreciated the gesture, he should leave that to the professionals, of which he was not. He laughed and agreed with that. He had asked her how she managed to choke down his horrible food. She felt terrible but she had nearly thrown up but because he worked so hard, she ate every bite.

"Geeze… What's all the commotion about anyways?" Ace questioned.

"We thought you dropped dead! Are you crazy?" three men yelled.

Ace turned to the head chief, gesturing to the men behind him. The villagers, those who remained, were those sincerely worried about Ace's health. While that was kind of them, they were being too loud about it. Skye wanted to cast a muting charm but that would cause unwanted attention. She was glad that there were still good people in the village that actually cared. She just hoped a marine didn't walk by, or if they did, they wouldn't be interested in a small little restaurant. It wasn't even a big restaurant. It was one of those slightly off the beaten path but still a local favorite for the town to enjoy the food. The atmosphere, however, was rather lacking, but perhaps that was because of the strange turn of events that had shocked the normal patrons gob-smacked. Ace's narcolepsy had caught her off guard only once, it was when she was introducing herself to him and then he just fell asleep. He had fallen forward and she had to catch him. He slept on her for an hour. Nothing that anyone did would wake him up.

"Does this restaurant of yours do comedy skits or something?" Ace asked.

"No, that isn't our thing. Not here. We're just glad that you're alright," the owner said.

Ace was about to take a bite again when his head dropped once more. This time, Skye caught a hold of him by the hair and pulled his head back. His nose had been an inch away from the plate before she stopped him. She hadn't expected his first attack so she hadn't been prepared to stop him from taking a nosedive into his food, but this time she was ready for him to snooze. She was used to his quirks and his oddities. She would hope that he was used to hers by now. They had only known each other for a little over two years. A year after he became a pirate. He had been eighteen with a large bounty on his head. He had been dubbed Fire Fist Ace a few days after they met because he attacked a large navy vessel carrying weapons with his Flame Flame Fruit powers. She had reunited with him after that only to give him his new bounty poster and to offer his congratulations for such a feat in the matter of a few days. She had also warned him to be careful. She had been seventeen. He and Blue were the same age.

"Damn it! Cut it out!" the men cried.

Skye eased Ace's head back onto her shoulder so his back was pressed up against her chest. She sighed in exasperation but really, she didn't mind at all. Ace was Ace and she wouldn't change him for all the beli in the world. But this time, as the ship's doctor, instinct kicked in. There were bags under Ace's eyes. It was unnoticeable at first but now that she looked closer, since she knew what she was looking for, she saw the bags. Had he not slept for a while? Had he been traveling alone? There were none of Whitebeard's other men around, so she had to assume that Ace was alone. She would have to remedy this. Perhaps she had a sleeping draft that she brewed from the last time Ace suffered from insomnia. He did need a different brew because of his narcolepsy than anyone else she normally made the potion for. She also had a beaker of something to help with his narcolepsy. He would need it when they decided to cross the desert. Sleeping in the heat of the day without anyone noticing could be dangerous, especially with lack of water. Especially if no one noticed that he fell at all.

"You'll have to forgive him. He has narcolepsy," Skye explained.

The crowd sighed in disappointment and cleared out of the restaurant, grumbling to themselves in disappointment because Ace wasn't really dead like they had automatically assumed he was. He could have just have been sick, or extremely tired. She had seen that happen before. Skye wrinkled her nose in disgust because of the villagers. They were eager to watch someone die because it gave them something to talk about. Such a thing made her sick. It reminded her of so many things she had seen in the past, mostly things she had seen the closer she got to the Red Line and beyond that. Suddenly Ace sat back up. He gave her a sheepish grin before he sat up straight, this time managing to clear his plate. Skye also finished the last of hers – one plate versus his twenty eight plates. She had been hungry, but not as hungry as he was. She never could compete when it came to an eating contest with a man who had a Devil Fruit. She wondered if it wasn't also a part of the curse of a Devil Fruit – the desire for food seemed to increase after eating a Devil Fruit.

"Yeah, I think that ought to do it," Ace said, "Tell me mister…"

"What is it?"

Ace reached down and pulled a bounty poster out of his bag. It was Luffy's bounty poster. Skye smiled at the beaming face of the Straw Hat pirate. The boy hadn't changed since when the picture was taken apparently. The happy smile on his face was almost contagious. The way he had a blatant disregard for the fact it was on a battlefield almost made Skye laughed. Then she looked again. Down in the lower left hand corner was the back of a head she knew. Usopp was in the picture as well. While the rest of the crew didn't have a large bounty on their heads yet, it would only take a matter of time. They would be wanted criminals in the near future. The crew would have a good bounty on their heads before they knew it. Skye and Blue together were worth three hundred million just as a pair. They did have a few years to set themselves up as such. Skye was predicting an up in her bounty after what would happen in Alabasta. She and Blue had a bet going on, both were on missions to see who could up their bounty more. Blue was off on another island, fighting a marine Vice-Admiral over some disputed lands that properly belonged to Whitebeard. The marines thought they could take it from Whitebeard. Blue and one of Whitebeard's other allies were going in as a tag-team to eliminated the threat.

"Have you by any chance seen this guy?" Ace questioned, "He's a pirate that wears a straw hat…"

"Oh, Ace, Luffy is in-"

"You have some nerve eating in a public place like this, even for a Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Hello, Portgas _D_. Ace…"

Skye sighed. A marine had showed up after all. It always happened that way. When she wanted them there, they never were, particularly when she needed them, like when she was lying low and some thugs were harassing her. She couldn't just show off and knock them out but she had to wait to be rescued. When she didn't want them at all, they always found her. She was good at being sneaky and such. She had never been caught on a job, but she had always run into them and had to play the 'I'm-just-an-innocent-civilian-and-I-don't-know-what's-going-on' card. It was funny and sad at the same time. At least this time she could pass off as someone else, so long as Ace kept calling her Amelia – not Skye. No one knew her face anyways. Her bounty poster had no picture, only a sketch of a masked figure with a black cloak, one of her earlier missions, but the picture was blurry and grainy, unable to zoom in on her face because of the shadows. She had a bright red fan in her hand that stood out against the black. Because Blue called himself Blue Masquerade, they assumed she was into the theater as well.

She had used Amelia Emeralds as an alias and then they called her Blue's First Lady. It was fitting because she was his first mate, his first crew mate and the first girl apart of his crew. That didn't mean she didn't blush when her crewmates called her their the First Lady. Most women she had come across in any position of power that she had seen were selfish, dark, manipulative creatures that they later found out worked for the government and Orion sometimes had to assassinate. They normally had to go to events like plays or dances in order to get close to their targets. Skye did however, enjoy theater performances, much to Blue's amusement. He always indulged her and took her personally to see the new plays. They went in disguise but it was always an enjoyable time. She did find it strange that no one else on their crew had taken her to a performance before. Blue was always the one to take her out to see a new play, after a 'job well done' as he would say. Skye didn't mind. It was just one of those quirks

"Huh? No way! Not the Whitebeard Pirates!" the owner choked.

"I knew I've seen the mark on his back before!" another commented.

"You mean this weirdo is one of the Whitebeard pirates!" a man cried.

Skye made a face at that remark. Ace might have had narcolepsy but that did not make him weird. It was a physical condition. As she glowered at the man who had said it, the man squeaked in terror and quickly stepped away from her, fearing she might just attack him for it. She wasn't a physically violent person. She would however, cast a spell, giving that man horrible luck for the rest of the month or something like that. There weren't very many powerfully dark spells that she knew, but she did carry her brother's pyromagic book around with her and her father's potion book. The potion book really wasn't breaking Council Laws, so long as she didn't brew poisons. It helped her several times when brewing antidotes and medicines for her crew or other crews for that matter. She hadn't brewed a potion in a while. Her stock of medicine was growing low. After whatever happened in Alabasta, she would have to get some time to herself and brew enough to restock her supplies. However, all things aside, no one insulted the Whitebeard pirates in front of her and got away with it.

"That's the mark of the Whitebeard pirates!"

How would anyone not realize what mark that was? No two Jolly Rogers looked exactly the same. No two flags were identical. The only similarities were those that used the skull and cross bones or just the Crossbones in Blue's case. He had an S on the flag behind the crossbones. It had been a rather interesting thing to stitch onto his clothing but Skye had managed for him. But Ace's tattoo was one of a kind. There wasn't a single tattoo like his, even on Whitebeard's ship. Each son took on the mark of Whitebeard as they saw fit. However, the skull had a white beard for crying out loud. There wasn't a single crew out there that had a facial hair attached to the Jolly Roger, aside from Roger himself. She could probably be partially blind and still recognize that mark, perhaps it was because she had an attachment to the crew, but she also did have an eye for Jolly Rogers. She could list a hundred crews that she knew, past, present and possibly famous future crews. She had a good feeling about Luffy and his crew. Something about him just drew her to him, but she had noticed this about Luffy's crewmates as well.

"What's he doing here?"

Skye put her cup down. She was prepared for a fight, if worst came to worst. She would rather enjoy her tea, but life couldn't always be easy. You didn't always get what you wanted. She couldn't sit down and enjoy her tea because the marine in front of them decided to be an annoying gnat that continually buzzed around them. Honestly, they had no manners sometimes. She was trying to have a conversation, a pleasant lunch, a good cup of tea, but no, the marine wouldn't let her. If it were Domino from her crew, the man would have been pummeled to the point where Orion had to step in and stop him. However, Domino was known for having a shorter temper than anyone else on the crew. They could handle a few injustices while Domino had a zero tolerance policy. He practically flipped his lid when he learned that Amber, another one of their crewmates, had been bullied as a child because she could 'track' things better than anyone else could. Skye later realized Amber could only do this because she had 'tracking' magic. She could find lost things, lost people, lost places very easily, but became easily lost herself.

"I'm curious. What's such a big-shot pirate doing in this country?"

Ace put his mug down as well. Neither of them had turned to look at the marine behind them as of yet. Slowly the two spun in their chairs, turning to face the marine for the first time since the rather one-sided conversation had started. Ace was smirking devilishly at the marine, almost mocking the smoking man before him. Skye just looked tired, exasperated because this had been happening to her a lot lately. It was good no one recognized her, but that didn't mean a few boys didn't give her a hard time. She gave it right back, but then modified their memories so they forgot her face. She had become rather good with magic like that. It was the only reason that the marines knew of her crew, but not their faces. Blue wanted their name out there, but he also wanted to protect his crewmates. Skye was the one he sent to take care of those threats, with the brute force of either Orion or Domino to back her up. After all, she was no assassin. She could barely hurt her crewmates when it came to sparing.

"I'm looking for someone," Ace said, "My little brother…"

Skye recognized the marine as a man from Lougetown named Smoker, but it didn't explain why he was so far way from where he was normally posted. In the back of her mind, warning bells clanged and chimed, echoing in her ears. Marines never broke protocol and left their assigned ports and yet this one did. He was slowly becoming a pirate, like they were. First, he would disobey orders, and then he would do something that he normally wouldn't do under any other circumstance. It would be interesting to see a man like him become a pirate. But according to news in the marines, there was a man considering becoming a pirate. X. Drake was considering it. Ryou and Jun were sent to go and keep an eye on the man. If he asked for help from the twins, Skye was going to be sent out after her mission for Dragon to meet with the marine and help him escape. If not, then she was going there to pull the twins out of danger. She did favor the young boys. They were still just into their tweens, as Amber was.

"So, what do you want from me now, Captain?" Ace asked.

"I'd just like you to come with me quietly."

That was not going to happen in a million years. Ace scoffed to confirm this. The day Ace was captured by the marines was the day that she would swear allegiance of information to one crew only. She doubted that would happen any time soon. Ace was far too stubborn to let something like that happen. He had the will to live that Whitebeard claimed that she had, if only she were a D as well. He had taken her aside once and told her what the will of D was, only because of her insatiable curiosity. She had been instantly fascinated with what he told her. She agreed to secrecy on the matter, only because Whitebeard insisted it and she knew the danger of flapping her lips about something so serious. Not that she needed another reason for the World Government to try and end her. They already wanted her gone, but had not put out posters for her arrest yet. News three years ago was that the World Nobles had Admirals looking for her and her fellow escaped slave, only before they became pirates. After she became a pirate, they put out bounties for her.

"No thanks. I think I'll pass," Ace said.

"Yeah," Smoker grunted, "Figured you'd say that. I'm here in Alabasta trying to hunt down another pirate at the moment. To be honest I have no interest capturing you right now."

As if he stood a chance in the first place. Ace wasn't the Second Division Commander for nothing. He was one of the strongest pirates that she knew, aside from Whitebeard and Marco. She would tease him for things whenever she got the chance, trying to needle his ego into a comfortable size. The last thing she wanted was for him to overestimate his abilities in battle and to underestimate his enemies. She feared that more than anything else about him. He did the same for her, but his was more or less just friendly teasing, a game for him. She agreed. It was fun. Blue had yet to realize how close she and Ace had gotten over the years. He just thought she had watched out over the former Spade pirate, but Skye could easily count Ace as one of her closest friends. However, it was moments like these where she wanted to hit him and then herself. She should have used a glamour to make Ace look different. She should have made him let her do it, because they didn't want to get caught. They would leave the city in an uproar if they had been, which they were so there was really no fighting it now.

"Then just look the other way," Ace suggested.

She really hoped this could be avoided without confrontation, but it seemed, Ace was itching for a fight. Smoker was a noble and good little marine dog that would refuse to allow a dirty loathsome pirate into establishments like restaurants, because of the danger they presented. Okay, so Ace liked to eat and run. He was a good patron otherwise. Skye always paid handsomely. Granted, she wised up enough not to pay for Ace's food, but that wasn't her fault. He would eat her out of the 'allowance' that she was given, as the rest of the crew was given. They worked hard for their money. Skye had things she needed and she normally gave the money to people who needed it more than she did because she couldn't bear to see people suffering. Ace's stomach did not count as people, nor did it count as a heart stinging charity cause. Ace had learned how to fend for himself. Skye was just along for the ride sometimes. At least Jun would get a kick out of her latest story about how she and Ace couldn't have a normal sit down dinner.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Smoker clenched his fist as he glared at the pirate in front of him. Smoke oozed into the room. It grew closer to Skye but she just waved it away from her with little to no fear at all. A fight was about to break out. His arm started smoking. Slowly, subtly, she reached into her satchel for her spell book. If she was quick enough, she could cast a sleeping spell on Smoker before he did anything, before Ace got it into his thick skull that Smoker was his enemy and therefore, he could not leave until he had fought and won. Ace had the tendencies of a bull dog. Once he bites it takes a while for him to release his hold. One look in Ace's eyes, told Skye that they weren't going to leave until Ace was satisfied with the fight. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, so much for a normal sit down dinner with a good friend. It always seemed to go like that for her anymore. She put a hand to her shoulder and tried to roll a knot out from under her skin. She was getting tense. She would have to see if she had a potion later for her tense muscles because apparently, she was going to have to wait until Ace was done fighting.

"Not as long as I am a marine and you're part of a notorious pirate crew."

Ace continued to smirk at Smoker. He almost looked like a child in a candy store that was told he could pick anything he wanted. Skye just sighed in exasperation. Apparently, Smoker was the same as Ace. The two were so focused on each other, neither of them noticed her. She let go of her spell book, letting it drop further into her bag. Ace could take care of it himself if he was going to be so keen on starting a fight. She wasn't getting involved this time. She turned back around in her seat. She took up her cup of tea again. It was still warm, which was nice, despite the desert heat that was smothering her like a blanket. She wasn't about to let a fight put her off her Earl Grey tea. It was one of the comforts that she had refused to let go of from her life before piracy, one of those quirks that she just couldn't shake despite her better judgment. Blue was always one to say they should indulge from time to time. He said that he had craved a good Earl Grey while he was… detained, amongst other things to crave.

"That's not much of a reason, now is it?" Ace said.

Ace finally looked up. He had a devious expression on his face, his devilish smirk, his left eyebrow raised and a mirthful look in his eyes that made them dance with glee at the prospect of a fight. Ace's sudden lassitude wasn't reassuring. It was more like the lazy stillness of a hunting panther with its tail flicking back and forth as it watched it's pray stumble about in the underbrush, unaware of the predator lounging high in the gnarled branches of the trees. Ace was itching for a fight, in fact, he was instigating one. He was just begging for Smoker to give him a chance to fight. Just one twitch, at the moment, was all it would take to start a skirmish. This practically assured Skye that Ace and Smoker were going to fight for a while, because Ace would never turn away from a fight and Smoker refused to let a pirate slip under his nose. While, Skye saw, that if he let one pirate go, he'd start letting more and more pirates grow, but his Absolute Justice was enough to make her sick. He didn't even see anyone else's side of the story.

"How 'bout I give you one?" Ace suggested.


	9. Chapter VIII: Baroque Works

"Gum Gum no Rocket!"

A blur of red burst in through the door at such an alarming speed that she had no time to react. Skye's eyes widened. Ace quickly shoved her to the ground, knocking her out of the chair but getting her out of harm's way, as he always did when danger came her way. He always protected her and watched her back. She always did the same for him as well. Unfortunately, before he could get out of the way he was hit by Smoker, who had been hit by what was apparently Luffy. Together the pirate and the marine were sent flying through the walls of several buildings. Debris and smoke flooded the room. Skye coughed as she covered her head with her arms, shielding herself from the rubble and shattered wood. She couldn't use her magic, not with so many witnesses around. She looked up once the smoke cleared. Luffy was standing in the center of the room, laughing cheerfully as he did what appeared to be a victory dance. She wondered if even noticed that he knocked two people through the wall.

"Woo food! Now I can eat!" Luffy cried gleefully, "Finally! I'm starving! I thought I was gonna die!"

Luffy practically threw himself onto the chair in front of him, right next to the gaping hole. Skye smiled tensely because of Luffy's predictability and rather one-track mind. It surprised her that he had just found food now. But then she wondered how he was going to pay for it. As far as she knew, Nami handled the money on their crew. It didn't seem that she had given her captain money at all, but Luffy had also not given her time to give him money, what with the way he practically bolted off the ship, as if it were made of acid. This display also put Luffy into a new perspective in her mind, one deeper than what she already knew. She just started to scratch the surface of Straw Hat. He had just as much brute strength as his older brother and her captain. It was almost enough to make her nervous and fearful for her life, other than the fact she knew Luffy wouldn't hurt her or any of the other civilians. He was a good man like that. He had such a good heart as well as a simple mind.

"Old guy, gimme food. C'mon hurry!" Luffy insisted and then sang, "Food, food, food, food! Now, now, now!"

He picked up a fork and knife that had been unused and started to clang them together. Food was placed in front of Luffy as quickly as it could be cooked. Instantly, the rubber man dug into the food with the vigor of a starving, dying animal. Skye made a face at his table manners, of which he apparently had none. At least Ace chewed before he took another bite. Luffy was filling his mouth with many different kinds of dishes: bread, pasta, meat and more. He was using the elasticity of his mouth to extend its capacity as much as possible. He almost looked like a chipmunk, with stuffed cheeks, minus the furriness and a tail. Skye nearly laughed at the thought. She could just see Luffy storing food for the winter, only to find all of his supplies were gone after he stored them, because he ate them. Life as a chipmunk would be very hard for him. He would suffer greatly if he had been born a chipmunk. Luckily he was human, or was that unluckily for the livestock he would eat and consume throughout his life?

"Amazing! This is seriously the best food I've ever tasted!" Luffy shouted.

Skye wanted to slap him. He was being loud and obnoxious, two things that always drew marines like honey. Common sense for any pirate was to be as subtle as possible in order to avoid detection, but it was only around marine populated islands. When the marines weren't around, pirates could be as loud as they wanted. When the cats were away, the mice could play. Oh, did the mice play as Skye had seen. She had also seen cats as useless as lumps of coal instead, or those that were very mouse-like themselves. People were difficult to read but she had a knack that Blue liked to use and take advantage of when he could. Luffy was hard to read sometimes. There had to be something more than the simple mind that he acted like. There had to be something to him that made him tick differently from what anyone else automatically assumed about him. She stared at the Straw Hat pirate, trying to see something that no one else could.

"Ah, yes, thanks a lot… But you see, sir, it's just… well, you might wanna start running now," the restaurant owner said.

He poured Skye another glass of tea as she sat back at the bar. She smiled and took another drink of tea, smiling as she relished the taste. Apparently the restaurant was known for its Oolong tea. Honestly, Skye felt it wasn't that great. It wasn't seeped long enough, the herbs didn't fully bloom, the water wasn't hot enough, but it wasn't half bad either. Earl Grey was her preferred favorite, with a dash of milk, a sprinkle of sugar or sugar cane if it was on hand and a dollop of honey. Both of Skye and Luffy were completely ignoring the fact that a high ranked marine officer was after them – a dangerous one on top of that. In fact, the patrons were surprised Skye wasn't attacking Luffy for knocking Ace through a wall since she was so cozy with him. She knew both blockheads and favored both of them out of most of the pirates on the sea. Not many could say they had Amelia Emeralds in their corner, but fewer could say they had Skye in theirs. She looked at the hole again and shook her head. Luffy must have really sent them flying because no one had gotten up yet.

"Why's that?" Luffy asked.

"The guy you just sent flying through the wall right now. Do you have any idea who he is?"

"Who sent someone flying?" Luffy questioned.

Skye smiled into her tea glass. She was surprised he had yet to notice she was there either but she would wait to see what would happen when Smoker picked himself back up. Her money was that Ace would wake up first. He always got up when it was highly important for him to anyways. Besides, he already had two naps. When there was nothing important going on he tended to sleep like the dead and nothing would wake him up. It was frustrating sometimes when she wanted to beat the man's head in for just leaving her alone, in the middle of a conversation or the one time he fell asleep when they were attacked by thugs and she was low on magical strength. She won, but she was so tired afterwards. It made it even worse that she had to carry him back to their hotel. When he woke up the next morning, yawning and stretching, talking about what a great sleep he had, Skye threw a pillow at him and went back to sleep for another five hours. He made it up to her eventually but it was still the fact he left her like that.

"You did."

"Really? Who was he?"

The restaurant owner gestured to the giant hole in the wall. Skye leaned in her bar stool to count six walls that had been demolished, but that was only as far as she could see with smoke still lingering about the fallen rubble, or perhaps that was just Smoker himself, billowing out smoke like a freight train. He was most likely not pleased. She was not ever a happy camper when she practically got bitch slapped through a wall. It was a strike to a man's pride, particularly men like Ace and Smoker. When their pride was damaged, they did everything in their power to restore their honor and pride to its former state of glory. Hence why, as the Second Division Commander, Ace was hunting down Blackbeard to kill him for the crime he committed under Ace's watch against Thatch. Smoker must have had some sort of history with Luffy in order to break orders and chase him past Reverse Mountain. He was apparently very stubborn about letting pirates go. Luffy had already escaped once it seemed.

"What's with all these holes?" Luffy asked, "Kind of a weird decoration, you know? Why'd you do it?"

"You're the one who did it!" several men yelled.

"I did? Really?" Luffy questioned.

Skye shook her head at Luffy's obvious obliviousness. She motioned for the restaurant owner to come over to her. He hesitantly did so. He crossed over the rubble that now stood at his once spotless bar. He was afraid of Smoker or Ace popping out of the hole in the wall and attacking in the restaurant. He might have been afraid she would lash out and attack him too, killing him or the other patrons. It was very bad for business if patrons died or there were a massacre. Skye knew that from watching other pirates at 'play' as they liked to call it. The man already had enough damage to his restaurant that if he had any more, his business might go belly-up. Skye would be very put out if she didn't do something to help him in this situation, because her friends did play a part in creating this mess in the man's life. She smiled at him, as kindly as she could manage. He looked at her, trembling slightly, wondering if she too didn't have a nasty Devil Fruit power or dangerous power to harm him. Skye was used to people not trusting her because she was a pirate. This man was no different from hundreds of men who judged her before they even knew her.

"Thank you for a delicious meal," she said.

She bowed her head. Then she reached into her cloak and pulled out a roll of beli, to cover her tab. She knew better than to cover Ace's tab. It would send her bankrupt. Luffy was bound to be just as bad as his brother, considering how much food he had already ordered due to just getting there. She would never be able to live with herself if she robbed the poor restaurant owners. Now, she had no problem doing it to the high end restaurants that treated poor customers even worse than their financial situation, in fact, she rather enjoyed doing that. Though, her heart did go out to the man so she tipped generously, enough at least to repair the wall. She didn't have a lot of money to go throwing around but she had enough of her own personal savings. Blue always did like giving their reaping from stolen ships to unfortunate places across the sea. The last place they gave money to was a town attacked by pirates. Everything had been stolen, burned or destroyed. Blue had sent in their crewmate, Orion, to deliver the beli to the mayor. Apparently, Orion took this as a challenge to see if he couldn't get into the mayor's bedroom undetected before delivering the beli, gold and other goods. When a guard came in to check on the man, Orion was in the bedroom window, leaving.

Skye looked up. Ace was finally making his way towards them. The glare on his face would have made a normal person's heart quake and tremble in fear of the beating they would have gotten from the Second Division Commander. He was steaming mad, but she assumed the anger would melt away the moment he saw his goofy little brother, despite any previous incident with said brother and a wall that was involved. The restaurant patrons ran for cover from the angry pirate. He made a noise of surprise when he saw the rubber man sitting there, eating nonchalantly, as if he had not just drilled two men through a wall by sheer strength, accidentally or not. A delighted smile crossed Ace's face as he beamed a million watts. Skye smiled. He looked so happy to have found his brother for the first time in a very, very long time. Much too long in Skye's opinion, but she wasn't allowed to voice it because she was not supposed to know how long the brothers had been separated for. Blue had told her everything about those two men.

"Hey Lu-"

"Straw Hat!"

Smoker came up behind Ace and slammed his face into the dust before another word could come out of Ace's mouth towards his little brother. Many in the bar gasped in horror and trembled in fear because of the violent act that was displayed before them with little regard to how they would react to it. Skye got to her feet, preparing to run to Ace's side and knock Smoker out. To Smoker, she just a sweet, innocent civilian who had gotten caught in the crosshairs of a pirate confrontation but she would jump in if he started to attack Ace or Luffy. The way her shoulders were shaking could have been considered fear, if someone hadn't noticed the way her eyes were dancing with mirth. She was doing her best not to laugh at how easily Ace had been put down. This would be good material for her to tease him with later, when it was just the two of them. She did enjoy making him flush from embarrassment. He enjoyed doing the same for her. It was a game they played, amongst many other games that the two of them played.

"I've been looking for you! I thought you'd be here. It seems I was correct."

Skye looked over her shoulder to see that Luffy was still stuffing his face, munching away on an assortment of foods, minding his own business, though he should have been focused on the apparently blood-thirsty marine in front of him. Smoker was growling under his breath, dangerously moving towards the pirate until there was all but three feet separating them. Now the tension was back and just as thick as ever when it came to a potential fight. It would just take one good puff of his smoke to have Luffy in his grasp. Luffy would have to move back a bit to even attempt to get one rubber fist at Smoker. Even then it wouldn't work because of the difference in their Devil Fruit types. It would be like throwing Luffy into a sword fight with a gun instead. Luffy had a Paramecia type. Smoker had a Logia type. They just didn't work out. Smoker's Devil Fruit had a greater advantage over Luffy's. It was like the idea of elements. Water was stronger than fire, but fire was stronger than earth.

"Would you quit eating?" the marine howled.

Luffy, on the other hand, didn't do that and just went on eating. The bar fell silent. The only thing anyone could hear was Luffy's noisy eating. Suddenly Luffy's eyes went wide. He spat food in Smoker's face. Skye wanted to slap the boy. Of all the stupid and careless things to do, he pissed off the marine who was chasing him, giving him even more of an incentive to chase Luffy down. But even she had to admit it was pretty funny to see a man as refined as Smoker with a face full of chewed up food. It was the biggest slap to the marine, quite literally in his face, she had seen in a few years. It was almost as funny as the time Amber pulled down the pants of a Vice-Admiral in front of his troops. Skye had been busy erasing the memories of the men who had seen her faces, but the reaction of such an esteemed man with his drawers down in front of his crew was pretty funny. It was memorable, only for the fact that the men who had seen it could only remember that their commander's pants had fallen down, not why they had fallen down. Skye was proud of her magic work there. She wondered if she shouldn't cast a memory charm on Smoker. But then Luffy would have it pretty easy to try to become the King of the Pirates, if no one remembered his face enough to chase him.

"You're that smoky guy! What are you doing in Alabasta?" Luffy demanded.

Smoker was about to lunge forward and attack but Luffy put a single hand in front of him. To Skye's surprise, the marine stopped instantly. Everyone stopped and stared at the infamous pirate captain as his other hand moved forward. Skye had no idea what to expect from him but she was watching with baited breath. She wondered if he wouldn't attempt to use his Devil Fruit powers or if he was going to pick up the kitchen knife on the counter in front of him to attack with. Physical attacks were practically null and void with the powers that Smoker had. He could turn his very being into smoke, therefore any attack could be prevented aside from those he didn't see coming or wasn't fully prepared for. This was why he went flying, when Luffy body slammed him from behind on accident. Smoker hadn't been expecting it like Ace had, though Ace let himself get hit for Skye instead. Was Smoker actually allowing Luffy a moment to prepare himself for an attack? He was breaking the code of the marines to let a pirate have a chance to fight back. Was he letting Luffy defend himself from the accusations? It seemed odd to chase him down to the end of the seas just to listen to why he had become a pirate. Was Luffy stalling for time? Did he have a plan? Or was he winging it?

"Wait a sec!" he said.

In a matter of seconds, Luffy got off of his chair and put an arm around the food, which was enough to feed an army, and put all of it into his mouth in one go. He bowed politely to the shop owner, mumbling something about being thankful for the meal. Then he started to run out of the bar. Apparently, Luffy was winging it after all. Smoker whipped past her. Suddenly, Ace pulled himself out of the rubble. He jumped to his feet and tore after the duo. Skye was right behind him. Luffy was her ride off the island. If she lost him to a marine, she was stuck there. As nice as Nanohana was, deserts weren't her preferred habitat. It would take Blue a while to get to her if she used her Den Den Moshi to call for help. But they must have been quite the spectacle to watch. A pirate, a marine, followed by two other pirates all running down the street in a hurry. The town probably hadn't seen that much excitement in years. Skye almost wanted to laugh at how funny they must have seemed but she just kept in pace with Ace.

"Wait up, Luffy! It's me!" Ace screamed, "Hold on a second! Hey, come back Luffy!"

Skye chased after him with as much speed as she could. He was already ahead of her but he also had a head start on her. Apparently the crowd also thought it was a good idea to get in her way so she had to duck and weave through them in order to fully catch up with the former Spade pirate. Her cloak fluttered behind her as she ran. She knew both pirates, naturally. Blue told her to keep an eye on both of them and offer them any information she could, free of charge. Ace was under the impression they were still offering Whitebeard free information, which they were but it made the perfect cover to give him information directly. Luffy had no idea how her pirate crew worked so she could just give him information. If Ace asked, it was because she took a shine to the young fledgling pirates. It was believable. She had seen that Luffy had attractive characteristics about him, even amongst the less tolerable ones. But with your ups, came downs as well. No one could be perfect.

"Ace, you know Luffy?" Skye questioned.

She had an act to keep up so she was going to play coy about it, amongst other things. She wasn't supposed to know the two were adoptive brothers or half of the things they had done when they were young little children from Goa Kingdom. She wasn't supposed to know a lot of things, but she did, which was why so many people wanted her for her information and wanted her dead because of what she knew at the same time. Marines never were pleased once they found out government secrets had been discovered. They were always less accommodating after events like that. She didn't want to be put on Ace's bad side if he ever found out that she had known everything he ever told her. She didn't want him to be angry at her, because despite her best efforts, Ace had become one of her best friends, aside from Blue himself. She wondered if she wouldn't follow suit with Luffy, actually becoming attached to the little ball of energy that claimed he would take the throne of the King of the Pirates for his own.

"He's my little brother," Ace responded.

"Then we can't let Smoker beat us, then can we?"

* * *

><p>"White Blow!"<p>

"Not good! Not good! Not good! Not good!" Luffy screamed, "Not good!"

"Heat Haze!"

A blast of fire hit the smoke, preventing it from overtaking the running pirate crew. Skye dashed over as quickly as she could, uttering a spell under her breath as she went. Instantly the smoke died away but the flames remained burning as brightly and as strongly as ever. Ace was burning brightly. The running pirates froze. They slowly turned around to find out what it was that had spared them from capture by the marines. Skye frowned. They should have kept running as fast as they could instead of checking. They could always figure out what saved them later, when the cost was clear. Marines were starting to run over, heading straight for them, because of course, there were no other pirates in port. They just had to come after them, naturally, because pirates were evil. Worst comes to worst, Skye would pretend that they had the Princess hostage, but then that would blow their element of surprise over Crocodile. They were in a bad position. Nothing would end well now that the marines were involved in their escapade.

"You again…"

When the fire subsided, Ace was seen in the center of the flames, on fire himself, smirking at the marine in front of him. Skye dashed over to Luffy and the others. She put a hand on Luffy's shoulder, ready to pull Luffy away if she had to. Luffy looked up at her strangely. Of course he would, after all, she was using a glamour to make herself look blond, freckled and blue eyed. She kept her attire but changed her physical appearance. No need in getting rid of a perfectly good alias. Amelia Emeralds always was a favorite of hers to use because Blue used Damien Blue. A few of the other crewmembers had picked up on their color scheme and had an alias with a color as a last name. It helped spread the name of the Blue Masquerade pirates. Regardless of this seemingly strange woman touching him, he said nothing. Skye wondered if he didn't have the gift to see through her glamour, a few people with Haki were able to do just that. She didn't know if Luffy had a strong enough Haki to do it, but she knew Haki resided in him. It twisted and curled in the deepest corners of his heart, waiting to be called upon but it wasn't developed enough for him to use it just yet.

"Just give it up. While you may have the power of smoke, mine is fire. A fight between the two of us would be pointless. It'd probably go on forever."

"All right… it looks like the mystery man has Devil Fruit powers," Zoro commented.

No, he was just burning alive and no one was grabbing a bucket of water to help him. Skye rolled her eyes. Having strange abilities like that was one in a million unless they were Devil Fruits or magic. Ace didn't have a single magical fiber in his being. He couldn't cast a single spell, even if he wanted to. Ace never did. He had asked once, after he found out what she could do, if he could do it too, because he thought it would be great if he could use the Devil Fruit and magic, but Skye told him he couldn't. She even told him how to cast a spell so he could try it himself. He had failed miserably and did not stop until Skye hit him over the back of the head. He had no magic. He could not do what she did so he should just take what he had and work with it, leaving the magic to the professional – her. Ace had laughed at her because of it, but he agreed afterwards. He had trained his Devil Fruit powers to the best of his abilities. As their promise, Skye trained her magic to be as strong as she could, but she had yet to break that barrier or using her brother's spells. Her father's potions were simple and could be considered White magic. Every mage brewed potions.

"Who is this guy anyways?" Usopp demanded, "And why is he helping us? Ah! Who are you?"

Skye looked over at Usopp curiously, but then remembered her spell. She smirked. She wasn't dangerous to them, only the marines. However, she would admit that terrifying Usopp was kind of fun. The faces he made were good enough to keep her entertained for a while. She would have to try to capture it right when she wrote it down later. Her fingers itched for her to take up her pen and try t do it at the moment, but she controlled the urge. Because she had been writing for Blue, with his guidance she bloomed into a magnificent writer, she still could do better, but she now had a passion for writing for him. Yet Usopp's face was one of mixed horror and fear. He was supposed to be the 'bravest warrior' of the sea, from all of the make-believe stories he told Chopper when she had joined them for the short period of time before Alabasta. Luffy just looked at her curiously, as if staring at someone who had yet to take off their coat though it was one hundred degrees outside or that strange person who had decorations up from a holiday seven or eight months ago.

"That you Ace?" Luffy questioned.

Ace turned over his shoulder and looked at Luffy with a smirk. Luffy looked shocked beyond belief to see his brother there, in front of him, defending him from marines. It made Skye wonder how long it had been since the two had last seen each other. She frowned. It made her think of Home. She hadn't been there in years. She wondered how her friends were doing, how her family was doing, how her town was doing. She shook her head. Home was in the past. She couldn't go back now, not since she became a pirate. Perhaps if she had come back immediately after she escaped, but she had befriended Blue. He deserved a chance to follow his dreams too. Since she could provide the means, she decided to help him. It was as simple as that. She took a deep breath. Her hand dug into Luffy's shoulder a little bit but she watched Ace carefully. She would get Luffy out of there, if it meant being the distraction herself and letting Ace get away too. She would modify the marine's memories if she had to. She was already channeling her magic so they would forget her face as soon as she combined it with another spell.

"You haven't changed a bit, Luffy," Ace answered.

"It is you! Really? Wow… Did you eat a Devil's Fruit or something?"

"Yeah, the Flame Flame Fruit."

Skye nodded as she recalled how he had eaten the fruit. She had tried to convince him the Devil Fruit wasn't worth the effort and that the inability to swim could very well be the death of him, but as always, Ace never listened to her when she offered advice to him. She had been the one to help him find the cursed fruit in the first place. She had been there when he ate it because the idiot decided to eat it in the middle of an oasis. She had to help him back to his ship when he previously could have swum there before he ate the fruit. What made it difficult at the time was that she was still not using magic in front of him so she had to rely on her natural strength. She did use a few subtle spells that Ace didn't notice then, but would notice now, only because of knowing her for two years. Skye glowered at the marine captain in front of them. He looked at her strangely before turning back to Ace. He didn't recognize her. Skye smirked. She did love glamour magic. It made things easy when she wanted to work with disguises.

"We'll secure the perimeter, Captain Smoker."

Marines were pouring in, preparing to back Smoker up against the two pirates. Skye and Ace caught each other's eyes. They nodded to one another, silently agreeing on their battle plan. They didn't even need to communicate what they were thinking to one another in battle anymore. They worked well together, or so others noticed when they were together. Skye stepped forward, pushing Luffy behind her so she could help Ace out, plus she was defending him from the marines. They wouldn't get past her without a challenge. She would take care of the small fries while Ace dealt with Smoker. She was opposed to killing marines, but she could always knock them out or make them fall asleep. It was against her code as a White mage to kill someone. She did know how to defend herself with a weapon. The sword underneath her cloak and the gun on her hip were signs of that, but her bullets were rubber and her blade was not sharpened as much as it could have been. Unnecessary violence was not one of her favored things either.

"Anyway, now's probably not the time for chatting, you guys get out of here. I'll catch up! Don't worry about these guys. We've got 'em," Ace said, "Go on."

"Let's go!" Luffy yelled.

Luffy turned on his heel and started to run. He and his friends were long gone by the time Skye stepped up beside Ace. She didn't need her spell book for a simple sleeping spell. She didn't need Smoker to come after any girl who looked like her because she had proven she was a mage by using her spell book. He would just assume she used Haki or something, but she was already weaving the spell that would make him forget her face as well. It was always best to protect a possible look-alike. Blue always laughed at her over cautious nature. She only did what she did in order to protect herself and others. They hadn't been caught yet. Their crew was practically a myth of the seas. If anyone ran into them, they wouldn't be able to tell them apart from a normal pirate crew. That was aside from those in their crew who had decided to take Blue's Jolly Roger as a tattoo or bore it on their clothes. They wore the symbol as a banner of pride and it always made Blue smile when he saw his men and women take up his mark. Skye wore hers with pride on a silk scarf that Amber had stolen for her once, in which Skye stitched the symbol on herself. She had even made a similar scarf for Blue, not out of silk, but velvet instead.

"It's been a while," Skye said, "Since the two of us teamed up…"

"Try not to hold me down with your little parlor tricks, magician."

"This is where I come back with some sort of flamer joke right?" Skye teased.

Ace smirked at her but then turned to face the marines in front of them. Those men really had no chance against the two of them. Ace's Devil Fruit only complimented his physical strength, probably making him that much stronger. Skye smirked as well. She wasn't strong physically, but with her magic she could put them under easily. They stared down the marines, wondering how easily it would be for them to put them down, for them to no longer be a threat to them. Smoker wasn't intimidated by the two of them like his lackeys were. They had no idea who she was, but they assumed she was just as powerful as Ace if she was friendly with him. With Ace, of a Division Commander's strength, and Skye, with an undetermined strength, the marines were worried. The other marines were trembling. One man looked like he was about ready to throw up at the sight of his powerful foes, or foe. Their guns were shaking, unable to point directly at them. If they fired, chances were that Skye and Ace could easily dodge, defend and counter-attack.

"There's one thing I don't get. Why are you helping the Straw Hat?" Smoker asked.

"Can't a guy help out his bumbling kid brother? Even you should get that Smoker."

"And I made a promise…" Skye simply said, "The fact that Straw Hat is his brother makes it important too…"

Ace looked at her curiously. She had never mentioned such a promise to him – the boy's brother. She could say it was that she made a promise to Mr. Nine about protecting Vivi, which was truthful, but the true promise lay in what she promised Blue – to keep Ace and Luffy safe the moment she ran into them on the seas. So far, everything had gone well. Ace was safe, Luffy made it to her safely. She would continue to keep them safe until she beat it into Blue's head that it was okay for him to reunite with his brothers. His eyesight was healable. He simply refused to let her take care of his problem because he felt that he deserve to be blind. It wasn't fair to him. She had once tried to heal him while he was sleeping and he yelled at her for weeks and then refused to talk to her for a month. Skye couldn't bear to go so long without talking to him so she never tried it again. Promises were very important to the two of them. Without trust they had nothing. So they told each other everything, not keeping a single thing from each other. Secrets were what could destroy a relationship or even their partnership.

"He's your kid brother… Interesting…"

Ace let himself catch fire, burning to the point where Skye was forced to sidestep him to avoid being burned. She gave him a pointed glare for nearly scorching her as well. She wasn't his enemy after all. They weren't sparing. He just laughed it off, knowing that she wasn't going to do much to harm him. She might hit him later, but it would barely feel like a tap to him because he was used to taking stronger hits from his crewmates when they were messing around on deck and testing their strength. Skye knew she wasn't as strong as Ace, nowhere near as physically strong. But mentally, she said they were both on equal grounds. The strategies they came up with together astounded Whitebeard several times. But she looked over at the self-proclaimed big brother. He looked happier than she had seen him in months, not to say he wasn't happy on Whitebeard's ship. But Ace looked truly at peace knowing that he had seen his brother for the first time in a few years. He was so close to reuniting. She only hoped the same could be said when she managed to reunite all three of the original adoptive brothers at once.

"Oh please, how loving…" Smoker snorted, "Now move it…"

"I'm afraid I can't. You understand," Ace replied, "And my friend is with me on this one."

Ace let off a burst of flames that created a wall between Smoker and the fleeing Straw Hat crew. Skye looked around. There were a lot of civilians standing around. She sighed in exasperation. She would have to exert more energy to keep them safe from the fire. Ace most certainly would go all out against a powerful Logia type like Smoker, despite the fact their battle would never end. She already held out her hand, palm flat to start casting a barrier between marines and civilians. She refused to let some innocent yet curious bystander get burned and hurt because of Ace's flashy and explosive, pun intended, moves. The wall of flames had already scared back some of even the bravest of marines. It was only human to be afraid of being burned, yet Smoker stood as cool as a cucumber against the fire.

"So you're the Straw Hat's brother are you?" Smoker question, "White Spark!"

In a heartbeat, Ace and Smoker were tangling smoke and fire together to create a dangerous combination. It actually had enough force behind it to leave the ground. Skye smirked. She quickly cast a spell against the defenseless marines. They all fell to the ground completely unconscious, guns dropping, swords becoming limp. She had also added a second spell. Flames licked at her shield over the civilians, protecting them from the inferno. They all believed they were spared from harm because they all dove out of the way, but that was not the case. Skye had to exert her magic even stronger when there was a small explosion. Then she sighed, ready for Ace to quit playing around so they could catch up with Luffy. An explosion forced Ace and Smoker apart. Skye coughed slightly as smoke filled the air. She couldn't see anything. A hand grabbed her and she was pulled along. She couldn't see who was pulling her away from the battle but she assumed it was Ace. She could feel his log pose brushing against the inside of her wrist.

"Ace?"

"C'mon, we have to catch up with Luffy."

"We're going to have to separate. There's too many for the both of us to shake them!"

Skye turned over her shoulder. More marines were starting to pull in. There was no way they could shake them if they stayed together. Ace was wearing a bright orange hat with a green back pack. He was practically an eyesore as it was, not to mention a beacon to those who wanted to capture him. Though, she was no better with the white cloak she had grabbed to protect her from the Alabasta sun and the desert cold. Everyone else in the village was wearing grey or dark colors. She refused to do so. White reflected the light. If she wore darker colors she would practically bake in whatever cloak she would wear. She would rather not have 'Death by Cloak' placed on her tombstone when she died. It would be humiliating. But she kept running as Ace made a face. He looked at her worriedly. He didn't want to leave her alone to fend for herself against the marines. He was protective over his friends. Skye was no different, just because she was a girl. He knew she could fight for herself, but he still worried.

"Don't worry. I'll see you at Luffy's ship. They have my boat so I can't get far without them."

Ace nodded solemnly, though reluctantly. He really didn't want to leave her on her own to defend herself. Skye ran down a path on the left. Ace ran down a pathway on the right. She bolted down the street, ducking, dodging and weaving through the village people who practically jumped out of her way in horror and alarm because of her speed. She could have sworn she heard someone scream as she leapt over a cart and landed on her feet, still running after she landed. She used her momentum to keep her going. The marines split and chased them both. Skye looked over her shoulder, laughing when she saw marines chasing her. Somehow, she always felt so alive when she was being chased. It was exhilarating to know that they were after her and she had to do everything in her power to get away. There were times when it became terrifying but she pressed on anyways. There were times like this when life was just so simple and all she had do to was run.

* * *

><p>Skye couldn't use any large spells to take them out. She didn't want to involve civilians into a fight that wasn't theirs, plus it would cause too much damage to the surrounding area. She had already cast a hastening spell on herself and a slowing spell on the marines, but any flashier magic could draw the attention of Smoker or perhaps another in his crew with similar strength. Heaven forbid he actually had a mage on his boat. She would be screwed if he did. She had merely cast a repelling spell to throw back any marines that got too close to her. She was running out of time to get to the docks. The Straw Hats would leave soon, whether or not she was on the ship. Mostly likely, they would leave without her because four of the seven in the crew did not trust her. Ace would vouch for her but then it would be four on four. They would still leave without her, if Zoro and Nami had anything to say about it. Usopp would cave if someone forced him to agree. The crew was so strange but she found herself wanting to be around them more, just so she could figure them out. They were interesting enough.<p>

The city was huge. Skye stared at it with wide emerald eyes. Terror lined her features despite her best attempts to reel it in. She tore down the street as people walked past her, ignoring her, at least until the marines came rushing by, barking orders. They kept shouting for her to stop but she refused. A few 'good doers' tried to help the marines by reaching out and grabbing her. She had been in several cities before but this one was something else completely. Skye knew she had to stop paying attention to it though – she had been running with her head craned up, staring at the buildings that burned her eyes because of the white texture. She looked around nervously. She had no idea which way to go but she was following signs that indicated towards the ocean. She had to get there before Luffy and the others left or else she would be stranded and caught by the marines. The people in this city, they didn't move out of your way like other towns she had been in. Here they bumped into you and then yelled at you, like it was somehow your fault, for their carelessness. They liked to pass the blame, taking it out on others. They knew they wouldn't be able to bear it so they passed the buck along.

The young woman kept her head down, not wanting anyone to see the fear or anxiousness in her eyes as she practically ran across town for all of her worth. Somehow she knew showing weakness would be a bad idea in this kind of place. Others would merely exploit her for it. People yelled and shoved her when she bumped into them as she ran. She didn't even have the breath to apologize. Her lungs felt like they were about to explode in her chest and her legs begged her to stop but she just couldn't. She laughed breathlessly when she saw the shore. With luck, the crew would be there, sailing in the harbor. She could just pull her broom out of her bag, un-shrink it and fly over. That was her plan. She kept running until she bumped into someone. The two of them were almost sent toppling but the other figure regained balance quickly and grabbed onto her so she wouldn't fall either. She felt her face get pressed against their bare chest and their hand wrapped around her waist and the back of her head to keep her steady against him. She was about to cast another spell to repel the man away from her as well but then she saw a familiar black tattoo.

"S-Amelia, what are you still doing here?"

She looked up. Ace stood in front of her protectively, moving her away from the marines that were chasing her as she panted breathlessly. Luffy was beside his brother look out at the sea She laughed weakly. She didn't see the marines closing in, or the bandits that had been chasing Ace. She put a hand on his forearm to keep herself sturdy. She always did seem to have bad luck with the marines. Each and every time she ran into them, she always had a hard time of getting away. There were times were it was easy but then something big always happened after. It was like Amber's gambling. If she won, something bad happened, if she lost, something good happened. Blue let her gamble, only to find out the outcomes of their missions. Because of it, they had managed to keep their crew alive, making sure no one was caught or killed on whatever mission they went on. It also helped to know whether or not to trust their 'allies' or whether their enemies were actually their enemies. Amber just hated when she won.

"Couldn't shake them. They kept coming…" she explained breathlessly, "Looks like you're having fun too!"

"There it is!" Luffy cried, "Hey, over here you guys! We're here!"

"Luffy, you and Amelia go on ahead…"

Ace looked over his shoulder to see his younger brother and possibly Luffy's ship. But Luffy had already jumped over the stone wall and was climbing down the stairs to catch up with his crew who was just sailing along, as if they weren't missing their captain at all. Skye had caught her breath. She smiled over at Ace. She had fun, whenever she was around Ace. She liked being with the Whitebeard Pirate. She did think it was a shame he wasn't the Captain of his own crew anymore, but it was his choice and there was no better crew on the seas than Whitebeard's crew. She was glad he was with the old man. She looked around. They were being surrounded by all sides, the marines being further back than Ace's bandits were. She looked up at him and then smirked. She lifted her hand and cast a sleeping spell. Instantly the bandits dropped. The marines followed suit. They could probably have a band march through there but not a single one of those men were going to move from the spot where they slept.

"Ah, you already went… Well, Amelia you're with me."

Ace looked up to see all of the company they had that were now defenseless. He chuckled to himself. The two of them had been rather busy. It was unfortunate that Skye was to be chased by the marines, while he got away, but it was her own fault for wearing her white cloak that made it so easy to spot her in a crowd sometimes. He grabbed her and started to drag her off before she could protest. When he found she wasn't keeping up well enough, he swept her off her feet and into his arms, carrying her bridal style. Skye fought against his hold. She may have been an old time ally of Whitebeard but there was no way she would let one of her allies carry her like a child away from a battle. She had no choice as Ace jumped into his boat. He set her down making sure her feet weren't by the engine, because he had to make his legs burst into flames in order to get the boat to go. She thought the process was unique and it made the boat amazing, but Ace was used to the idea of the boat being like that. It was just a boat to him now, not some amazing skiff that could outmaneuver bullets and cannons on the seas.

He zoomed off towards a boat that Skye found very familiar, with her little boat attached to the back, at least until the boat exploded. She could hear Usopp's screams of horror about how close it had come to hitting them and how they all could have been goners. She sighed wearily as she looked at the remnants of her little boat. A cannonball took care of her little boat. She frowned. She hadn't had it long, either. In fact, she had rather liked that boat. She never left anything personal in it but it was still enough to make her upset. She had stolen that boat rightfully from a marine off the coast of the Drum Kingdom. He had been involved in petty crimes like theft, but he was a jerk, so he deserved it when Skye had tipped off a man called Dalton about the marine's crimes. He was arrested and she got his boat. She had her Den Den Moshi. She was going to have to call Blue and tell him her ride was shot, quite literally. He would probably tease her about it for a week. It wasn't her fault that the marines shot at them.

* * *

><p>"But I bet now I could kick his big butt!"<p>

"I'd like to see you back that claim up," Zoro said.

Luffy started laughing richly as the two of them pulled up next to his boat. Ace handed Skye the rope. He picked up his backpack and smirked. He did have a mischievous side about him. This side only seemed to grow as he mocked his enemies with a sort of arrogance that Skye felt that only he could have. She threw up the rope and expertly connected it to the side of the ship without jumping up there to tie it herself, naturally using her magic for it. She positioned herself gently in the boat so she wouldn't fall over when Ace leapt up. He didn't move until he saw that she was perfectly balanced and holding onto the mast of his skiff. He always took care of her. Though, she was going to tease him later about Luffy's big butt comment later when the two of them were alone. She couldn't help it if his little brother practically offered her teasing material on a silver platter. She was going to take every bit of it and enjoy using it against him for a good long while. He would find something sooner or later that she was embarrassed about and use it against her. It was always best to keep the teasing material fresh.

"So, exactly who's butt…" Ace asked, "Is getting kicked?"

Before Skye knew it, Ace was up on Luffy's ship, crouching on the railing. He had a hand on his hat. Subtly he looked down at her, below the deck before glancing up at the crew in front of him, but it was enough time for their eyes to make contact, thus their games started again. There was a look in his eyes that she accepted as a challenge, declaring to her 'try to see if you cannot out do that' as he smirked down at her. The smug satisfaction in his eyes spurred the challenge into her entire being. She wasn't about to be out done by him so she jumped up as well, landing on the railing next to him, except with her legs dangling over the side of the railing. Her cloak slowly fluttered down around her until it fell back into place, though the back of it hung over the railing, shifting against the ocean breeze. Luffy grinned when he saw his two new visitors, despite being forced to the floor by dodging his brother. Ace really could have hurt Luffy if he had put any real effort into it. However, Skye knew Ace as well as she knew Blue. He would never truly hurt someone that he cared about. He would rather die than see someone suffer.

"Oh, Ace! This is the crew I told you about!" Luffy said.

Ace looked up at the crew, slightly startled, but recomposed himself rather quickly. The crew had looked rather surprised that Ace had just appeared like that with no tell-tale signs of anyone even coming near their boat, especially since he had leapt out of nowhere. Skye shook her head. He did like to show off for the newer crews. He also liked to try to convince people to join Whitebeard's crew. Skye had, on several occasions, turned him down because she refused to technically be a part of Whitebeard's crew, especially since she and Blue had worked so hard to get themselves where they were on their own. It would ruin everything they had worked for. Besides, if they were a part of Whitebeard's crew, the marines would see their faces more often. Then all of their aliases and other spy work would be for nothing. Skye refused to let that happen and Blue was happy being the captain of his own boat, so they would continue to refuse until the day they died, because they joked the Whitebeard would never die because he was practically immortal.

"Nice to meet you and thanks for taking care of my kid brother," Ace said, "I know he's a handful."

He bowed politely to the crew, showing just how appreciative he was of their actions. It was good to see that he still had his manners but he was always formal and polite around strangers. Skye wanted to see him laughing and joking with the crew, any crew, but it seemed that it wouldn't happen any time soon. He only joked around with her since she was practically a part of Whitebeard's crew without being a part of it. He had known her longer than he had known Luffy's crewmates, but even now, Skye could see he was not socializing with his younger brother as much as an older brother would. She wondered if it was because they were in front others and he was embarrassed to show Luffy how much he cared, or if, while Skye was being chased by marines, they already had a moment, or if Ace was purposely trying to distance himself from his younger brother. She wanted to ask, but would have to wait until they were alone, which would be hard on a ship where Ace's baby brother would be there all the time, trying to seek attention, trying to talk to his big brother, trying to make himself look good in front of said brother.

"Oh. No, not at all," the crew said.

Everyone had bowed in return to Ace, trying to be as equally polite to the older brother of their captain. Skye nearly rolled her eyes. Crews changed as quickly as the tide. They wanted to slice her open and feed her to the Sea Kings but Ace got a warm welcome. It hardly seemed fair. She would never tell him this, because he would tease her for feeling jealous but she was slightly envious. Crews around the world treated her like a threat, when sometimes all she wanted to do was help. It was a hard life, but the moment she agreed to help Blue accomplish his dreams. His dream became hers and hers also became finishing his for him. She had no goals of her own aside from helping him accomplish her dreams. She had never really thought about her lack of dreams. She had just worked as hard as she could to help Blue in any way she possibly could. She threw herself full-hearted into working her fingers to the bones to please her captain. She smiled at the thought. They were close now. She could just feel it. She had met with both Ace and Luffy. Now, all she had to do was reunite them and cure Blue's eyes, which the insufferable man refused to allow her to heal because it would take a lot of magic to heal something that had been damaged for so long.

"C'mon, be honest. This is Luffy we're talking about. Isn't he a bit much for you to handle at times?"

"Not at all," the crew replied.

Once again they bowed. Skye raised an eyebrow. They complained about their captain as much as they could and yet they said he was no problem. Skye wondered about that. She wondered if her crew thought the same of her or of Blue. Her crew was distant. They cared for each other but she had seen moments of selfishness bubble to the surface of their hearts where they would fight only for themselves, not for each other. Orion was an assassin so he was trained to fight and survive for himself only. He was slowly changing but the fact still remained that he was not used to fighting for others. Domino would go into a blood rage and just fight until he was the last one standing. It was terrifying, which was why Blue was reluctant to send him on missions. Domino could be moved by the slightest of things into a rage where he would attack anyone no matter if they were friend or foe. They only figured this out when a man poured his drink on Domino at a bar and Domino had started screaming and yelling. He punched Skye through a wall when she tried to stop him. She was bedridden for weeks. Blue refused to allow Domino near her until Skye said she forgave him one day, out of the blue.

"You're good people," Ace said.

"Well, sit down and relax. I'm sure you two have lots of catching up to do. I'll make some tea," Sanji offered.

Skye raised a fine eyebrow. She had given them the tea that they had, unless Sanji restocked, which she didn't doubt. Sanji did seem like he liked to make sure they had everything they possibly could to live and eat in comfort on the ship. It was the fact that Sanji had placed it more like an order, like Ace was supposed to sit down and tell Luffy his life story since leaving their home. Ace hadn't told her anything about his childhood. Perhaps she could get more stories from Luffy to go back and tell Blue. He would enjoy hearing about his brother's antics. Skye would also like to get to know her best friend a little better, but if she asked Luffy about Ace's past, Luffy would want to know about hers. She hadn't spoken about her past with anyone, not even Blue. No one had any idea what her childhood was like. She kept those secrets tucked away in the deepest pockets of her heart. This was her life now. She loved the seas more than anything. It had saved her time and time again. She could never go back to the life she originally had.

"No, that's thoughtful, but I don't wanna impose," Ace said.

The second division commander looked up at Sanji, noticing for the first time the blond was holding a cigarette. Ace pointed at the cigarette with a smirk on his face. A flame appeared at the end of it, lighting the cigarette. This startled everyone who had never seen Ace's Devil Fruit power. It was hardly anything showy. Skye had seen that trick several times, when Ace was trying to be intimidating with idiot thugs who thought they were cool because they smoked. She had also seen cigarettes blow up in said thugs' faces and singe their eyebrows. That always made her smile – the looks on their faces once they realized that who they were talking to was a force to be reckoned with. Ace was powerful but she could be just as intimidating if she wanted to be, however, she never caused harm to anyone so she wasn't as terrifying as exploding cigarettes. She knew that Ace would never do that to Luffy's crew but it was still the fact that he could do it if he wanted to. Luffy's crew seemed to realize this as they all warily eyed the cigarette in Sanji's hand.

"He's not exactly what I expected," Sanji said.

"I'll say," Zoro agreed.

The crew seemed shocked at how different Ace and Luffy were or at least appeared to be. Skye saw a lot of similarities between the two brothers. She had only known Luffy for so long but she knew Ace even longer. Ace was just as reckless as his brother, just as stubborn, just as bad mannered (when he wanted to be), just as oblivious and just as… Well, Luffy-ish as Luffy was. Ace was just putting up a front with the crew he was with. She wished he would let his guard down a little, to at least get to know those who were taking care of his little brother. Being around the crew was going to be awkward and difficult because of Ace's choice in how to treat them. Skye just watched wearily. She was tired now. She hadn't slept well in a few days, tossing and turning, unable to sleep well because she knew the dangers of sleeping on her own while out at sea. That was why she preferred to remain in port when she was alone but she had been sent out to take care of this on her own. They had already lost Reginald, Harold and Allen to Alabasta under mysterious circumstances. She was supposed to find out what happened to them as well.

"He's polite, helpful and gracious. The polar opposite of Luffy," Usopp muttered.

"One of them only cares about stuffing his face! There's no way these two can be brothers," Nami argued.

Her hands were pressed over her heart, as if she were trying to keep it in place. Luffy couldn't have been that bad. The kid was slightly obnoxious but Skye found that endearing. She had yet to find a crew where the horrors of the Grand Line didn't reach them eventually. She hoped that he could continue to smile for free the way he did, even after he reached the New World. She wanted to see him smiling until the very end, until he reached Raftel and even beyond that. Luffy's smile was contagious. She personally hadn't smiled that much in years. She had fun with her crew, but really only with Blue. None of the rest of the crew understood her the way he did. Skye glanced at Ace. He was apparently amused by their reactions, to say the least. If Skye looked close enough Zoro was getting watery eyed at the mere sight of Ace. She stared at the crew oddly. Just because Ace was different it didn't mean he was better than Luffy. There were some things that Ace did that made her want to bash his head in.

"While the other only cares _about_ his brother!" Zoro said.

"I wish I had a wonderful brother like that!" Chopper cried.

"Brother? I wish I had a wonderful captain like that," Sanji said.

But despite everything they said, Skye knew that deep down, Luffy's crew did care about him. While his crew may complain and groan about him, his personality or the trouble that he brought them, they would take no other pirate as their captain. They had made their choice the moment Luffy asked them. Though that also depended on how Luffy asked them to join them. He had already requested that she join his crew. He was not afraid of her magic. He was delighted by what it could do, though he had not yet asked for her to do anything magical for him, which seemed to surprise Ace. She predicted herself pulling rabbits from his Straw Hat and sawing people in half by the end of the night, if Luffy had his way. He seemed like he did enjoy good entertainment for what it was. When it really came down to it, Luffy was just Luffy and he was one of a kind. The one of a million who stood out the most vibrantly out of anyone Skye had met in years.

"Sanji!" Vivi gasped, "He's kidding!"

She was trying to assure Ace that Luffy was loved by his crew. But ever the peace keeper, Vivi struggled to get the crew to say something nice about their captain, however nothing came. Skye looked at Ace. She didn't see much of a difference between Luffy and Ace. They were very similar when one got down to it. Ace just happened to be a little more reserved and polite, only around strangers. He opened up once he got to know the other. Ace looked amused at the Princess' attempts to make Luffy look better in front of his older brother. However, as an older brother, Ace had the advantage of knowing Luffy's faults to a T from childhood. If Luffy hadn't changed, the Ace knew how things went for the crew. There really wasn't a way to hide someone's personality from someone who had known them their entire life, someone who knew their quirks, who knew their mind, their soul as well as a family member or very close friend did.

"See?" Luffy asked happily, "I told you they were interesting!"

Skye frowned deeply. Interesting was one way to put it, but different was another. They were different in a very good way. She liked that far too much about the new fledgling crew. They hadn't even seen the other half of the sea yet. She looked out towards the sea, something that always helped her when she felt unsettled. Her comfort was ruined when she saw Baroque Work galleons sailing towards them. She sighed in exasperation. Baroque Works really didn't know when they should give up or when they were clearly outmatched. Skye could flip the galleons upside down if she wanted to. Ace could char them to pieces. The Straw Hat crew might have taken longer to take the crew out but they were strong enough to do it. They just didn't have time to sit around twiddling their thumbs as the marines were given the chance to catch up. She looked over at Ace. He had noticed as well, of course the crew had yet to realize this. She cleared her throat, making the crew look at her in surprise. She had stayed out of the conversation until that moment after all.

"Company," she grunted.

"Baroque Works!" Vivi cried, "Those are the Billions' Ships!"

"Those guys again?" Luffy questioned.

"Luffy, leave it to me. I'll handle them," Ace said.

He stood up. Luffy looked up at his brother, away from the ships he had just been gazing at. He helped Skye onto the deck, so she had both feet firmly planted on the ground. He handed her his green back pack, trusting her to take care of it, which she knew that she would just as well as he did. It was the only reason he had handed it to her in the first place. Luffy might have gone snooping through it, but Ace knew he could trust her not to go through his things, mostly because she already knew what was in there, and most of those were things she didn't want to find out about her best friend, like his clothing sizes, or the universal boxers or briefs question. She watched as he jumped over the side of her ship. She sighed. He was probably just putting on a show for his little brother because it was the first time they had seen each other in years. Skye had seen Ace in action one too many times. She was rarely impressed by his feats of fire. The same could go for him. He was rarely impressed by her magical prowess. They were only impressed when the other came up with a new attack or a new spell. Even then it did not impress the other as much as it used to, which was sad. Ace was very cute at first when learning about magic. While he was disappointed he could not learn it himself, he was able to use his own Devil Fruit powers to recreate certain magical spells her brother used to. He had been honored that she had taught him those.

"He's going all by himself?" Nami wondered.

"And in that dinky boat too!" Usopp remarked.

As Ace sailed towards the fleet of ships, the Straw Hat crew watched with mixed anticipation. Skye yawned. She wondered where she would sleep since her ship had been blown up by a stray cannonball. She had even seen the Baroque's Agent smirking as she and Ace sped over to Luffy's ship. There had been an agent aboard a marine ship, so perhaps they were trying to either help or hinder the marines, or he was hired by Mr. Zero to cause problems along the way. Skye didn't know. She didn't care anymore. She would just have to steal another ship when she got the chance. It would be a risky move since she had already stolen ships two islands in a row, but what were the marines going to do to her? Up her bounty? It was already going to sky rocket because of her latest mission to Alabasta. Blue knew that. He was doing something else on the side to help bounce his bounty as well. It would do no good if Blue's bounty was lower than that of his first mate. She was his first mate. She was supposed to follow his orders but if she was more of a 'threat' to the marines, then he might lose respect of the crew.

"I wouldn't worry about him if I were you. They don't just let anyone become the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates," Zoro said with a little scoff.

Skye knew for a fact that Ace was going to come out unscathed, if anything, he would come out of the fight with a huge smile on his face as if he just defeated a giant or something actually worth a challenge. If he got hurt from this then there was no way he could go after Blackbeard. He wouldn't be strong enough. Skye could make the boats spring leaks, make cannons stop where they were and freeze the crews in their spots but they would be able to get out of that. They would again come after them and then it would be a mess all over again. She looked over the railing to see his little fire-powered boat heading towards the giant Baroque Works galleons. This was a true duel of David versus Goliath. However, this David had more than a slingshot to take down the giants. In fact, the Giant stood no chance against this little David. He had a fire fist and an unlimited supply of flames to back up his strength and the name of Fire Fist. Suddenly, Ace jumped out of his boat, several feet up into the air. Skye could have sworn that she saw a smirk on his face as he looked over at the Straw Hat crew. They were staring at him in awe.

"He jumped!" Nami cried in surprise.

He flipped once, then twice and then upon the third time, his entire lower half burst into flames as he propelled himself through the air, over the large Galleons below him. Not-quite-flying like a falling star, he sailed right over the vessels while evading, or even better, burning the incoming enemy shots coming from below as they desperately tried to take him down. All attempts were fruitless and would remain so for a good long time. Skye doubted that normal methods would ever kill Ace. Another Devil Fruit user would probably end him, but even chances of that were unlikely because Ace was stronger than anyone she knew, though Blue could give him a run for his money with brute strength, minus Devil Fruit powers. As he was just about to hit the water, his skid appeared underneath his feet. He easily turned the boat around to face the galleons. She was impressed that his hat hadn't flown off yet.

"Fire… Fist!"

He shot a huge flaming stream from his fist, naturally, that literally burst through all the enemy fleet galleons. One after another, the ships in the fleet were burned into rubble and swallowed by flames. Skye didn't look in the water. Her heart sealed away the sounds of the men screaming in fear as the fire came closer. She didn't want old memories to be triggered. She did not want to see the charred bodies floating along. It reminded her of time past when she had been in the water, hoping, praying that someone would come and rescue her. The only thing she hated about Ace's power was how easily it could massacre large amounts of people in one attack. He could level entire towns if he felt like it. He could have been the scourge of the seas. Ace only smirked as he admired the spectacle that his path of destruction had woven over the top of the ocean's briny depths. His body returned back to normal, except for one finger which was still burning and adjusting his hat. He looked rather smug with himself as he viewed what he had done with childish glee.

"He roasted them!" Usopp howled.

"Yeah," Skye grunted, "He does that sometimes."

The crew looked down at her in horror, fearing the worst of the man who had completely obliterated their enemies and his minor roadblock. Ace had practically treated them like an annoying fly that he had been forced to swat or just taking out the trash. It always was impressive to see a one hit K.O. She had actually seen Ace do worse. He was just showing off for Luffy. But if he really wanted to show off he would use his most devastating attacks. But then the city they just left might be in ruins. Ace did have some sort of control but fire was out of control once it left his finger tips. Luffy was just astounded by his brother's strength, practically hopping up and down in delight. Skye smiled. Ace had done the same thing once he had figured out her magic. He did it all aside from the hopping but the smiles were the exact same. Come to think of it, when she was explaining it to Blue as well, he had been as equally delighted to find out about it. He had the same smile as well. They truly were brothers after all.


	10. Chapter IX: Cover Blown

"Woohoo! Time to celebrate guys!"

"Here's to Fire Fist Ace!" Usopp cried, "And Amelia!"

Chopper, Usopp and Luffy were toasting to this new proclamation with mugs that Sanji had filled promptly upon them getting out of the marines' sight. Water sloshed out of the wooden mugs and onto the deck. At least they weren't getting drunk. Skye couldn't stand drunkards. But from the stories Ace had told her, only about his little brother, never his past, Luffy had been tricked into drinking juice over ale and grog many times. He would never know the difference. She always had to trick men into drinking, not the other way around. She would hate to see what a drunken idiot Luffy would be like on his first glass of actual alcohol. She never really drank enough to get drunk so she didn't know how she was as a drunk either but she could see Luffy as a loud drunk. Skye looked over at Ace with a smile on her face. She had joined him, just sitting on a barrel as they watched the younger pirate crew. She smiled as she remembered the first thing she and Blue did once they found out they were wanted pirates.

"Wait, who said we were joining your crew?" Ace growled.

"And to delicious drinks," Usopp said seriously.

"Cheers!" the trio cried.

They toasted once more before taking hearty drinks of water, since warm sake seemed like a bad idea at the time. Not only would it leave a bad taste in their mouths, they would get thirsty, not something you wanted to do when heading into the desert. It was an even worse idea to go in drunk or hung over. Domino learned that lesson the hard way. He was an avid drinker. He had gone into the desert on his own, which then resulted in Skye and Blue going after him. Needless to say he was angry because he had to be rescued by his captain and the first mate. Domino never did like Skye. He felt he shouldn't have been taking orders from a woman. He thought that Orion should have been the first mate but as it went, the first one to join the crew was the first mate. Skye and Blue saved him from his gambling debts but he had no thanks for it to give to them. They had paid it off in full and then offered him a position on their crew, which he accepted but then he grew angry. No one knew why he was so upset with being a part of the crew. They weren't emotionally close to one another but it wasn't a bad crew to be a part of.

"Oh, don't worry," Nami assured him, "You can't take anything they say seriously when they're like this. They get all goofy when they drink."

"Medicine isn't delicious! It's terrible!"

They toasted again. Skye shook her head with a smile on her face. They weren't even drinking alcohol and yet they were terribly silly. Luffy's crew was tighter knit than her own. As much as she hated to say it, her crew was only together because what they did benefitted everyone. Amber was a part of the crew because she had nowhere else to go. Ryou and Jun were orphans trying to find a home. Orion was an assassin, looking to kill the man who killed his family. Domino was a recovering alcoholic with serve debt and was working for them to pay it off. Then they had a handful of other men, hired on only to take care of the ship. They had no idea what the pirates did. All they knew was that they were a part of Blue Masquerade's crew. Those hired hands knew that telling secrets to anyone that the captain did not approve of first meant death. This act was always carried out by Orion. He refused to allow the crew to be placed in danger.

* * *

><p>"Ace, Amelia, are you sure you don't want to join us?" Luffy questioned, "It'll be fun. I promise."<p>

"I can't right now. I'm chasing someone," Ace said.

He took a hearty drink of water before looking back at his younger brother. Skye felt sadness seeping back into her as she recalled Thatch's smiling face. She looked down at her mug, trying to get rid of the flow of memories that was ebbing through her like a tide. Ace noticed her discomfort. He put a hand on her knee, but did not move it from that spot. He respected her enough to be able to treat her like a normal person instead of the women he saw at the bars. Skye knew about his night life, but he left her out of it. At first she thought it was because he didn't think she was worth a relationship, but then she saw it was because he respected her. The other women were treated nice, but Skye was his equal. She smiled at Ace weakly, Thatch's death pushed to the furthest corners of her mind, though the ache was still there. She wasn't alone yet. She couldn't mourn her friend yet. It was always too soon for those things. There was never time for her to just sit down and cry when she was feeling her weakest. Blue needed her strong and intimidating, not sniveling and weak. So she always pushed her emotions as far away from her heart as possible.

"He's a pirate named Blackbeard," Ace said.

"Blackbeard?" Usopp questioned.

"I've heard of him. He was the one who attacked Drum Kingdom!" Vivi cried.

Ace made a face at the name of Blackbeard's previous whereabouts. He had been there. He had traced Blackbeard there himself, only to find the renegade had already left to another place. So that was why he was following a lead in Alabasta, one that Skye had heard herself. He shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable as he prepared to tell the pirate crew why he was away from his own crew. They had no unique ties to truly bring them together as friends. It was enough to make Skye jealous. His hand remained on Skye's knee until she took his hand in hers and squeezed it. He made no notion that he had registered the movement of his hand. Skye noticed that Zoro had taken note of how close Skye and Ace seemed. It was unusual for a pirate of his caliber, not of Skye's to be away from his crew. Skye was constantly away from her crew, hence why they weren't as close to one another as Luffy and his crew were. Skye's crew just lived together and fought together on occasions. She wanted something like Luffy had but knew that because of the way their crew was structured, they would never have it.

"You see, Blackbeard used to be a member of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates," Ace said, "He was one of my men. But he committed the most unforgivable sin a pirate could: he killed one of his fellow crewmembers and then he jumped ship."

Skye made a face, remembering Thatch. She couldn't picture that man dead and unmoving. She didn't even want to know how he died, but a part of her did. She wanted to make Blackbeard suffer just as much as he made Thatch suffer. He had been such a good friend to her over the years. He was like one of her big brothers once it really came down to it. He was the one who helped her finally come to terms with the death of Gabriel (her true blood brother) and her father. She had pushed everyone away until Thatch. He came into her room daily, bothering her, pressing her, questioning her. She had cursed him, spelled him and enchanted him every which way with every spell she knew, that was still using white magic. But basically that meant he was cursed to only sing whatever he said, his hair and skin would be random colors or he had extremely good luck whenever he played cards against the other crewmates. Magical cheating the men had called it, whenever she enchanted his luck only to get him to leave her alone.

But eventually, he got her to the point where she was sobbing hysterically. Blue was in the room as well, trying to get Thatch to back off. But things got physical. Thatch had knocked Blue to the ground. He leapt towards Skye and pinned her to the wall, shouting at her. She didn't even remember what had been said but she cried harder than she ever had before. Blue kept trying to get between them until Skye started telling Thatch everything. Marco had come along because of the scuffle. He had separated the two of them but still, Skye's words kept spilling out. There was no stopping it after that. Blue held her as she cried. After she was done, Thatch, bless his soul, declared loudly that she didn't need to worry about family anymore. She had Whitebeard as a Second Father and all of the other men could be her older, and in some cases younger, brothers. He kept true to his word, as did the crew, though they weren't in on the promise. Even Ace seemed to treat her well, though he had no idea of what she had been through. He only knew she had an aversion to Sabaody Archipelago. He had tried to meet her there once, but Skye refused, the only time she ever denied him a request.

"As the commander of his division, it is my responsibility to take care of him," Ace said.

Not if Skye had anything to say about it. She was going to have Orion and Domino on this mission faster than Luffy on meat. If they could eliminate Blackbeard before Ace got to him, it would be fantastic. She didn't care if he would be angry with her. She didn't want Ace anywhere near the man if he had already killed Thatch. Orion and Domino were trained professionals in the art of killing. It was the only reason why she would send them in the first place. She had witnessed countless murders at their hands, all clean jobs with very few tracing back to them, but Skye normally made quick work of evidence. There were a few missions where she couldn't do it because they had no time to, times where they were almost caught. She would make up a lie if she had to about why Blackbeard would be dead before Ace got to him, or if he decided not to be her friend anymore, she would put up with that pain. She had a bad feeling about Blackbeard. He had terrified her from the start of her life as a pirate. She refused to spend time alone with him. She hung around other crewmembers like a lost puppy when he was around. The man made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, not in a good way.

"That's why you're after him," Usopp breathed.

"I came here because I heard that Blackbeard was last seen in Alabasta in a placed called Yuba," Ace said, "Skye met me to help confirm the rumors so that's where I'm heading."

The crew looked at Skye in confusion. She stiffened in her seat, squeezing Ace's hand as hard as she could muster. Of course he had forgotten her one rule, her only rule about when she worked with him – to call her by the name she gave him that day. She couldn't have names get mixed up. Skye wanted to hit Ace for being so stupid, so careless. He completely ruined everything she had worked to gain with the crew in just one sentence. She was just starting to get the crew to trust her and Ace could have completely ruined it. Zoro's eyes narrowed in dark suspicion. He looked like he would be the one to volunteer to throw her over the side of the ship. The swordsman had a hand on one of the swords at his side. He would fight her, even if it meant going through Ace to do so. He viewed her as a threat and she had to be eliminated in order to keep the rest of the crew safe. Ace on the other hand would never let harm come to her so he would naturally fight Zoro right back because of Skye's no harm disposition as a white mage.

"Skye? Ace, her name is Amelia…" Luffy said.

Ace opened his mouth to say something but then smiled sheepishly at Skye. She had been caught, because of one little mix up, because of his goof. He had even promised not to go and blow her cover. He knew how important it was for her to gain this crew's trust and yet he had to go and mess things up. Skye buried her face in one hand as she sighed in exasperation. Her mug was sitting on the floor and her other hand was clasped tightly in Ace's grip. This was why she did not like mixing jobs. Different people knew her as different aliases. She took a deep breath, trying to think up of something that would help her out of that situation. She began to chew the inside of her cheek in worry. Of course something stupid like this would happen. She had only gone three years with a flawless record only to have it blow up in her face now. The Whitebeard crew was the only ones who knew her real name. But apparently, as fate would have it, the Straw Hats would as well. She was too afraid to look up at the crew to see what they thought of this.

"Damn it, Ace… You blew my cover…" she sighed.

"Cover?" Vivi questioned fearfully.

Skye shook her head. She gave Ace a dry smirk, a 'thank-you-but-you-really-didn't-help-by-saying-anything' kind of twist of the lips. Ace had yet to return it. She wasn't an undercover agent of Baroque Works. She didn't believe in the mumbo-jumbo Mr. Zero spat out to feed to his minions. A perfect world simply wouldn't exist so long as humans lived together. Humans would never live together peacefully. War was an inevitable part of human nature, but so were times of peace. If he ever did offer her a position, not that he would be able to find her she would deny him and then possible curse him with the most powerful spell she could manage. Blue thought the whole thing sounded fishy anyways. Pirates didn't try to usurp the throne and settle down. It was in their blood to sail the seas and have adventures. There had to have been something deeper than the throne or even the kingdom that they just didn't know about yet. But that was why Skye was there, to find out what it was that Crocodile was hiding from the rest of the world.

"I'm both Amelia and Skye… Amelia is just an alias. Skye is my real name."

"How many aliases do you have?" Nami asked.

"As many as I need to survive," Skye replied, "I'm a part of the Blue Masquerade pirate crew."

Zoro stiffened. He let go of his sword and stared at her in surprise. Skye knew her crew was infamous around the seas. They had many things a lot of crews looked for. She had heard rumors that Zoro was looking for Hawkeye Mihawk, but had run across him. Sea cooks did like to gossip as well and when it was with women, nothing was tightlipped. He might have even had sought their crew at one point in time for information about the man's whereabouts. If Skye wanted to she could have investigated the entire crew's backgrounds, not that she knew she was running into Luffy's crew in the first place. Her log pose just happened to get smashed. She could look at Nami and see someone recovering from something traumatic. She could look at Usopp and see someone who had a fearful disposition. She could look at Chopper and see someone who was an outcast because he was different. But that was only be looking at their eyes, only because she had seen those eyes before, in other people, the looks all stayed the same but the reasons for the emotions were always different. Skye shook her head. She was getting lost in her thoughts again

"I didn't think that crew existed…" Zoro muttered.

Skye smiled crookedly. He might not have known they existed but he still heard about them. That was the way they played the pirate game. They drifted in like dust on the wind, sometimes leaving a hurricane in their wake or a gentle breeze, depending on the mission. They had changed quite a few countries and islands because of it. They had even helped play a role in Whitebeard's crusades to free islands from slave routes. It was one of their pet projects, to stop slavery at every chance they got. They couldn't stand slavery. A few of their hired hands were men and women who had almost been pressed into slavery before the Blue Masquerade ship raided the slave trade ships. They always took the others to their homes, back where they were before they were taken. Skye would never wish slavery upon her worst of enemies. No on deserved that torment of being demoted to a lesser being. They did not deserve the pain, the suffering that she and countless others had faced. She would take this issue global, if only she knew the World Government wouldn't stifle her, but she knew they would, despite her best efforts.

"We're good at our job. No one was supposed to know where we were, what we looked like or anything like that," Skye explained.

"A-And what is your job?" Usopp stammered.

Skye smiled gently at the petrified marksman. Her job wasn't as bad as Usopp thought it was. She wasn't an assassin. She couldn't kill anyone. Orion was the assassin of their group. He could kill in cold blood. He had killed countless of corrupt marines, power hungry nobles and other criminals that lurked throughout the seas and the islands. Skye mourned every person killed in the line of their work, even if they deserved it, because it was a loss of life, another person who was no longer of the earth. They were people too, people with friends, with family, with a life and then they were just gone, even if they were bad people, they deserved life. They just happened to make the wrong choices. Orion just saw it as a job, in which he would get paid. She wasn't a hit-woman hired to kill them all. In fact, now that she had gotten to know the Straw Hat crew, share food with them, share drink with them and converse with them, she was more likely to lay her life on the line to protect them more than anything else. Nor was she a spy, well, she was, but she was a spy at Vivi's disposal. Vivi gave her the orders. She would do as the Princess said because she had been hired out for the Princess' sake.

"Information," Skye explained, "We're the know-all pirates of the seas. Mr. Nine and Miss Monday asked me to come help Vivi in exchange for all the information that they had on the Baroque Works."

"But the Baroque Works are dangerous! You have no-"

"I've dealt with more dangerous people," Skye assured her, "Trust me…"

She made a dark face as she thought about the World Government. She was lucky her bounty wasn't extremely high, save for the fact it was high enough to call bounty hunters. One man actually figured out her identity. She was disinclined to let him go after that. Blue had managed to convince the man to join their crew. He was now one of her closest friends. His name was Orion Cameron. His wanted poster called him Harlequin. He was the ship's second mate. Should anything befall Skye or Blue, then Orion was the next in line to take control of the ship. Skye and Blue saw no one else fit to do so. Often when the two were away, Orion took control to make sure nothing happened while they were gone. Nothing ever did, but there were a few times when marines would attack, thinking if they got rid of the ship while Skye and Blue were away, then the captain and first mate would then get caught soon after. It wasn't like the two didn't know they were watched from time to time. In fact, sometimes they would purposely leave, taking Ryou and Jun with them, just to let the crew have a fight that they had been itching for because the marines hardly attacked when they were there.

"So cool!" Luffy cried, "You have to join my crew! I don't have anyone like you!"

"I'm disinclined to agree," Skye said.

"What?"

Skye made a face. Apparently her words were too big for Luffy. She had to speak eloquently in order to convince certain pirates that she knew what she was talking about. She had a great deal of practice of speaking elegantly before she was captured that she had put to great use, much to Blue's delight. He never asked about her past, she never told him about it either. He had told her about his past, but she had never asked. Blue would just bring memories up at random, telling her stories, which she wrote down in her journal to continue on his story, just his story, before he was captured as well. However, it appeared that her formal manner of speech was just that around Luffy, just big words being thrown around to impress those who might or might not know how to use them, except Luffy didn't use them, so to him they were just big words, strung together to make something called the human language. She just smiled at the poor captain. He had to have understood her somewhere inside. Blue was her captain. He knew she was a part of another pirate crew, he couldn't just demand that she leave her captain. It would be nothing short of treason.

"Means no," Ace replied.

Luffy started to pout as he realized what it meant for him and his offer to her. He would not be having her join his crew any time soon. Skye was a taken mage at that. She was off the market for other crews to attempt to take. She was a 'look-but-don't-touch' item that Blue could and would show off whenever he got the chance, only when trying to intimidate the marines, because honestly, the two of them together were a deadly combination to those who stood in their path. Skye could mentally tell Blue where to attack and when, but he had come long way on his own so he could fight on his own as well. His skill with a staff was enough to be intimidating, especially when he forwent his staff and took up a lance instead. Skye naturally fought hard for her captain. Blue took care of her just as much as she did for him. They were closer than crewmates, in a sense that Skye couldn't even put a word to it. Many times she had wondered what to call what they had but words seemed to weak and labeling it seemed wrong. So in her mind, they just were. They were good when they were on their own but even better when they were working together.

"I am, however, here to see your little endeavors through to the end, Princess Vivi," Skye said, "I am with you until the rebellion is over."

"Hey, that's our destination too, right?" Nami asked.

Vivi pulled out a map of the island. She pointed to the landmarks. Skye and Ace got up from their seats to look at the map, just in case for some reason they needed to travel on their own. Skye personally hated traveling without some idea of where she was going. She stared intently, finding the names unusual but unique at the same time. It always amazed her at how big each island really was and how one entire kingdom could form on one island with a government completely different from its neighbor with people who could be as different as night and day themselves. It was a fascinating process that always seemed to enchant her sense and seize her mind as she strove to learn as much as those people in the sort amount of time when she was on the island. Blue always had a chuckle as she asked about everything and anything that came to mind. She just loved learning about the new places. Her curiosity was one of those in their crew that could never be satisfied and the day they found she was satisfied with what she knew, would be a cold day in Hell.

"Exactly. We've just entered Sandora River," Vivi explained, "We'll take it to Erumalu and then we'll dock proceed on foot until we reach Yuba here! The leader of the rebel army is there. That's where we're going."

"You don't say. Do you mind if I tag along?" Ace asked.

Vivi shook her head. The more the merrier. If Ace was around getting to Yuba would most certainly be easier. He was strong, so was Skye. The mage on the other hand, was more than delighted to her friend along. They could catch up and talk. She missed Ace. She hadn't seen him in months. She had been so busy lately running around and doing as Blue asked of her, not that she minded. He knew when to go easy on her, perhaps better than she did. She was constantly running around gathering information. The only reason they were sent off alone because no one questioned small groups, but a large pirate ship always drew attention. Skye sat back down. She started thinking of everything she needed to gather. She luckily had everything she needed off her boat before it was destroyed by a marine ship. She was still mourning the loss of a very firm broom that she had stolen from the marines a few months ago. She hadn't had anything fly so well in years. Now a new broom was on her list of things to obtain once they got to Yuba.

"Nami, Vivi, Skye, I'll follow you anywhere. Just tell me where to go!" Sanji proclaimed.

"You idiot. Jump off of a cliff," Zoro grunted.

Skye smiled tensely. A man could knock the ever loving shit out of another man, and then the next minute everything was fine and dandy between them. They would be able to count on one another and depend on them if the situation ever turned sour for either of them. However, if that had been two women in the same situation, there would have been a screeching argument, maybe a bit of hair pulling and nails gouging into skin, sometimes even fists flying because girls could get just as violent as men sometimes when they felt that they were being threatened, and then, voila, they're mortal enemies for the rest of their lives. They wouldn't have been able to even breathe in the same room as each other without choking, themselves or everyone else in the room, on the tension and completely obvious hatred of one another. But here it felt relaxed, a lazy, familiar type of camaraderie between the men, despite the fact that she predicted someone being clocked into next Tuesday. But Zoro and Sanji were two she knew for a fact who would defend each other behind the others back. They didn't want to look like they cared for the other in front of them.

"What did you say Zoro?" Sanji growled.

"Cool it you two!" Nami snapped.

Nami shook her head in exasperation. Skye frowned in silent disapproval. Nami was the one who barked the orders yet Zoro was the first mate. She did not have the right or the powers to yell at the rest of the crew as if they were her dogs. Zoro was the first one who joined the crew. He was the second most powerful on the crew. He was the one who supported Luffy in his endeavors the most. He had been by Luffy's side the longest. The position of the First Mate was supposed to be honored by the rest of the crew. It was an unwritten rule of being a pirate. Simply being Blue's First Mate had practically saved Skye's life once or twice with unruly crewmates who simply did not want to obey under a woman's call. She also had the strength to back up her position. On many ships, that simply wouldn't fly with the rest of the crew. Skye personally would listen should the information be important enough but to have Nami roaring in her ear about things she was doing would get on her nerves and quickly.

"Well, it looks like you'll be with us for a little while, Ace," Nami said.

"We're all really happy to have you aboard!" Usopp said.

Luffy just laughed richly at the thought. It would be nice to have his brother around. Skye most certainly didn't mind having a familiar face around in a new crowd. She only knew Vivi but she and the Princess weren't friends since the beginning of time. Skye barely knew the girl. Ace, however, was a good friend of hers. Should they get into trouble that was far too much for Luffy, his crew or Skye to handle, Ace would be able to take out the trash, so to say. He was physically stronger than Skye could ever hope to be. It was a downside to being a mage. She was strong yes, but she could never get to be as strong as Ace was. Her magic would try to overpower the physical strength, not to say she couldn't get stronger magically. The body just had a hard time being both monstrously strong and magically strong at the same. Skye looked up at Ace. He held up his mug, offering a toast to his brother in return, a large smile on his face. So Skye gathered her mug off the ground and held it in her hands.

"This is going to be fun!" Luffy declared, "To Ace and Skye!"

"Cheers!"

Skye smiled. Ten mugs of water clunked together as they made a cheers. Skye had been surprised that he wanted to toast her as well. She had only expected the one for Ace. It made her feel strange. She hadn't been this accepted into a crew since the day that Whitebeard pulled her and Blue out of the ocean. Even Ace didn't trust her that easily when she first met him. He tried so many times to get rid of her that she lost count but he eventually trusted her when he ate his Devil Fruit and accidentally fell off the deck of his ship. She had been nearby in her little boat. Without a moment's hesitation she threw herself overboard and pulled him up. When they say Devil Fruit Users turn into anchors in the water, they weren't kidding. He was heavy. She had been afraid that she wouldn't be able to pull him up, yet she did, and here they were with his little brother and his brother's crew. Skye smiled to herself though it was one of her silent, private smiles. Luffy was open, kind and so trusting. She prayed silently that he never change. The ocean changed people. It changed her. It changed Ace. It changed Blue. It changed Whitebeard, Marco, Thatch and even Blackbeard. She hated and loved the ocean for that sometimes. It could take a person and change them for the better or sometimes for the worst.

* * *

><p>Skye had stepped into the kitchen only to find that Luffy and Usopp were being abused by Sanji with the frying pan. She had to resist the urge to go over and scold Sanji for his actions. It would do her no good to tell another crew how they should behave. Her crew was no better. Her crew was really only together because of mutual benefit. Amber had all the treasure she liked. Domino had his debts paid off and was working to free himself from Blue's service. Orion was protected from marines. Ryou and Jun had a place to stay and a 'family' to take care of them, though really the only ones who took care of them were Skye and Blue. Blue got to travel the seas and Skye wrote his book as he wished. Skye was just simply there because she had nowhere else to go anymore. Her islanders would never take her back. She had broken too many Codes of Magic. If she went back, the only thing awaiting her would be a short drop and a sudden stop. Or they would burn her at the pyre. It really depended on how the Council felt on the matter.<p>

"Quit playing with our food, you damned numbskulls!" Sanji growled, "If you've got free time, wash dishes!"

The blond stomped over to the sink to do dishes himself, putting the frying pan in the sink to wash it as well. It would do no good to simply put the dish away since it had touched the back of Luffy and Usopp's heads. He pulled back his sleeves, preparing himself for the long haul. He apparently had a lot of work to do. He was feeding two extra mouths so he had to make two extra sets of food and while it didn't seem like much that amount added up when it came down to all of the meals he would have to make. Skye frowned. She and Ace were a partial cause to his stress. He hadn't predicted the two of them coming along, surely, well perhaps he had for Skye since she had told him that she was there to protect Vivi while they were in Nanohana, but Ace was a complete and total surprise. If Skye's boat hadn't been blown up, she would have given them more supplies but it was gone and the pieces were just driftwood on the ocean's surface.

"I could use some help since I've got to pack all the food for the hike to Yuba!"

"Let me know if I can help," Ace told Sanji.

And Ace meant it. He would have helped if Sanji said yes, even though he couldn't cook to save his life, his cleaning skills were no better and he didn't know where a single dish went, he would have gotten off his feet to assist his brother's crewmate. Ace was that sort of person. Skye smiled warmly as she watched the pirate interacting. He hadn't changed since she saw him four months ago. She prayed that he never changed. Ace and Thatch were the ones who helped her recover the most over Gabriel's death. Thatch knew about Gabriel because Skye had told him, but she kept that information from Ace. She didn't want him thinking that she was weaker or pathetic because she still mourned her brother after four years. Ace just helped her because he was there. He had taken her mind off a lot of things that bothered her, just by being himself, by trying his best to get her to laugh, by telling her stories about when he was a child (though he never mentioned another brother), or by his other antics that he pulled.

"No! You're our guest. So just sit back and relax. Thanks though."

"All right," Ace said.

Sanji went to washing his dishes until he caught sight of Luffy and Usopp with their dishes on the floor beside him. They were washing it in a bucket of filthy water that made Skye's stomach churn. They were using the dirty mop water from the deck to wash the dishes. She made a face, considering going back upstairs and forgetting about what she saw, but up there she only had Vivi to talk to and Vivi was busy with something at the moment. She would rather not bother the princess. Besides, then she would also be around Zoro, Nami and Chopper, none of which trusted her in the slightest. Zoro had been glaring daggers at her since the moment Ace disappeared downstairs. While this normally never bothered her, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as he watched her with the intensity of a hawk. He might as well as been named Hawkeye, though she was sure the real man was just as intimidating. Luckily, she had not run into the Warlords paid off by the marines to hunt only other pirates. It was disappointing for her to see good pirates throw away their own souls to work for the Government, acting as a Government dog for the rest of their days, but it was their choice, so there wasn't much she could do about it.

"That's mop water you idiots! We just swabbed the deck with it!"

Skye couldn't help but laugh. Everyone in the room turned to look at her in surprise, aside from Ace. Whitebeard's Second Division Commander knew she was there the entire time. The other three had been so wrapped up in their dispute and antics they hadn't heard her arrive. She still lingered by the door, simply watching. She didn't realized that she hadn't been noticed when she walked into the room. She had assumed they knew. She was used to pirates noticing her, because most of Whitebeard's crew could sense her because of Haki or because of the magical aura she gave off sometimes. The expression on Sanji's face softened when he saw her. He looked sincerely happy to see her. Skye only ever saw that expression on Blue, Ryou and Jun, but in Blue's case, he didn't really see her. He could sense her coming. She frowned. She missed him. After her work was done she would have to go back and spend some more time with him. She had to get his side of the story because she was writing down what was happening with her in Alabasta. He was looking forward to hearing what she wrote. She also had write down what happened with him while they were separated. The crew hated her interrogations, except for the twins. They provided her with as much details as they could manage.

Blue loved listening to the twins talk about what they had seen. Their minds seemed to capture everything they could ever remember. The boys kept Blue company when she was forced to stay away. They even took up writing from Skye, though Jun seemed to prefer poetry to the novel writing that Ryou loved. That was okay. Skye understood what it was like for them. The boys practically hero worshipped Blue. They probably looked up to him like younger brothers to an older brother. Blue thought it was funny, but he was still rather distant with them. He was afraid of letting them get close. They lived a dangerous lifestyle. The crew knew this. That's why the boys were treated like treasures, never seeing battle, never even talking to marines. Skye usually had to take them to deserted islands so they could play. They were still young but they had outgrown the age of desiring toys. The boys were educated by both Skye and Blue. They taught them everything they could. Orion had questioned why the boys knew so much. It turned out it was because of Blue's formerly Noble background and the way Skye was raised as well. Knowledge was important to Skye so she made sure they had as much knowledge at their finger tips as she did when growing up.

"I have been waiting for you to smile. You should do it more often," Sanji said.

Skye shook her head at this. The smile faded slightly as she found herself the center of attention of the crew and Ace. While she was glad that he hadn't hit on her again, he had drawn all attention to her and her smile. She wasn't the type to appreciate gestures like that. Though, she glanced over Sanji's shoulder, at the large pile of dishes that were waiting for the cook. He had said himself he had more work to do before they got off the ship. It was for a good cause, she decided, to use her magic for Sanji's benefit. She was already sure that they wouldn't freak out about it because she could easily lie about it and say she had a Devil Fruit power. They had apparently seen stranger things with a reindeer doctor, a princess and a captain made of rubber. She flicked her wrist. When Sanji turned around his eyes went wide. The dishes were washing themselves. The rags were rubbing across the porcelain as if a hand were doing it, cleaning the dirt and food off the dishes. Another rag was drying them. After the dishes were dry they floated off to the cabinets where they belonged as the cabinet doors opened.

"A-Are you…?"

"Magic," Skye said.

Luffy stared at her in amazement. His eyes were lit up in absolute joy. There went her lie, or she could always say he was joking if he had a negative reaction about it. However Skye stared at him, mutely surprised, though it only showed in her eyes, something Ace easily picked up on, only because he knew her for so long. She had been afraid to show him her magic, at first. She never showed him what she could do until there was one time where he had been stabbed all the way through the stomach. She had grabbed him, with wide fear in her eyes and instantly pressed her hand to his stomach. Almost instantly the pain was gone and then so was the wound. After she healed him her she stared up at him in fear. Of course, Teach had blabbed about her secret and Ace didn't believe him but when he had a firsthand account of how her magic really worked he had been impressed. He had asked to see more and more after that, until he knew what spell she was going to do just by the expression on her face. Speaking of expressions, the amazement on his younger brother's face was rather amusing.

"So cool!" he cried, "You have to join my crew!"

"No, Luffy," Skye said firmly, "I am apart of another crew. Leaving Blue would be treasonous. He's my best friend too."

The expression on the straw hat boy's face fell solemn. He stared at Skye for a long moment. He looked put out not to have someone like her on his crew. Ace had a feeling that if she wasn't already with Blue, she might have considered the offer but then again she had an offer several years ago from Whitebeard. However, Ace knew she would never accept, mostly because Whitebeard's crew wasn't a good fit for her. She would have been a lower rank of what she had been used to, some of the men still feared her, and she enjoyed the freedom she already had. She would be restrained on Whitebeard's crew, forced to stay with everyone at all times, no escape from the people she couldn't bear to be around. She had always hated Teach, which Ace should have actually marked down as something important. She said he had tried to court her once but Ace laughed it off, saying she was too pretty to be his type – that Teach would go for a portly woman who loved cherry pie as much as he did. Skye had been serious about that yet Ace ignored her.

"No fair! I want a magic-person too!" Luffy huffed.

Skye offered a meek smile. There wasn't much she could do for that desire. Mages rarely left their homes. The Council looked down on it, at least on her island it was looked down on. She actually had no idea about the other mages. She had never come across one in the Grand Line, but she had heard of feats of amazing peculiarity that she assumed might have been another mage or perhaps more than one mage. She would laugh at the irony if there were a crew that consisted entirely of mages, sailing the Grand Line. It would be the biggest kick to the teeth her island could possibly have, though sometimes she felt that the Council did need a big shock because they were far too arrogant to correctly help rule their people than was good for anyone's health, particularly the civilians. It was nice to be so quickly accepted for the way she was, the way Luffy had done. She had spent so long being hated for her magic should someone find out, only for her to erase their memories later but it was still the thought.

"I'm a mage, Luffy," Skye explained, "A white mage at that."

"White mage?" Luffy questioned, "Because of your cloak?"

Skye shook her head. White just happened to be a cooler color to wear in the desert. It reflected the light, bouncing it away from the body, while darker colors absorbed the light, trapping the heat inside and keeping the body warm. Since they were going to be hot during the day she had chosen white as the color but she had also made sure the fabric was thick enough to keep her warm during the cold nights because it would be a few days before they reached Yuba. It was only knowledge that anyone needed when going into the desert, however, someone like Vivi would be able to survive with whatever she was given. She was used to the heat like no other, only because they were where she was born. Skye twitched at the memories tugging at the back of her mind, reminding her of home, filling her heart with nostalgia. She shook the thoughts away. The sea was her home now, but there were a few times when he heart longed to see her home, just once more. She almost forgot what her aunt looked like, what her uncle's laugh sounded like. She could almost no longer remember how her grandparents would smile when she would tell them her stories, made up of course, sometimes on the spot. She missed them.

"No, because of how I was trained," Skye explained, "You see, there are three main branches of magic – White, Black and Grey."

"Those are colors!" Luffy laughed.

Skye smiled at his logic. They were colors but they were labeling the types of magic that mages could perform. Black arts were forbidden. Many just fell under Grey because it was not truly evil and White made it so that she could not magically harm someone. It was difficult to use in battle like Skye had but she also had never killed anyone before. Blue refused to allow her to. She refused to push the battle that far. Orion was the one who killed their targets when they were out on missions. Skye was just good for information gathering. She smiled as she looked up. Luffy and Usopp were waiting for her to go on, like children ready for a story before bed. She was half tempted to tell them of the legends she used to be told before bed, but they were more interested in how the power broke down when it came to magic and the categories. Ace met her eyes, recalling the day she told him the same thing. She had been nervous but now she was confident, easily able to converse with what she was telling because she was no longer ashamed of her power like she had been when he met her. He had assured her that he thought her power was useful, that she should love it because she was a good person and her magic helped her save lives.

"They are what make up our branches of magic. White magic is considered the good kind of magic."

"Like what?" Usopp questioned.

Skye pulled her little black book out from underneath her cloak to show to Usopp, Luffy, Sanji and Ace. Whitebeard's Second Division Commander had seen that book several times. Never once did he ever dare to open the book. Reading it would be a violation of Skye's rights as a person. It was a personal book, just as was her log book, her story that she was righting and her informational log that she kept with her. He had never seen her without a book. He could imagine her cabins, lined with books on all the walls, stacked anywhere and everywhere there was room. Skye denied this but she did color slightly when he asked how many books she had. So he assumed she had a lot if it was enough to embarrass her. Either that or she shared a library with the rest of her crew. He had only met Orion but the man didn't seem like an avid reader like Skye was. In fact, Fire Fist had wondered to himself if the man could even read. He seemed so arrogant it was a wonder that Skye put up with him. Then again, Skye was the most tolerant person he knew, as well as the most patient woman he had ever come across, even more so than Makino.

"Well, on my ship, I act as the doctor," Skye explained, "I can heal wounds and I can make potions that are like medicines."

"Cool!"

"I also act as a navigator," Skye continued, "Because I can send a good wind our way or bad winds towards the marines. I can't create storms but small things here or there."

The marksman looked over at the dishes, considering this new information. The plates were now neatly stacked inside the cabinets. The rags were now focusing on cleaning cups. At this rate she would be done with cleaning in half the time it would take Sanji to cook them food for the desert. Sanji had gratefully moved on to packing and making food. He was busy moving around as herbs and spices moved to his hands the moment he muttered something about using them. He smiled to himself. Cooking had never been so easy. The entire kitchen was practically alive. Skye smiled to herself focusing her magic into cleaning the dishes that Luffy and Usopp had tried to wash in mop water, particularly. She personally thought eating off of dirty plates was disgusting so she would spare the rest of the crew the horror as well. Honestly, what were they thinking? Dishes had to be cleaned properly or else bacteria built up from half remained food and it was just kind of gross from personal opinion.

"And the dishes were your doing?" Usopp pressed.

"That's a simple cleansing charm."

* * *

><p>Vivi had the ship pull over for just a moment to do something important or so she said. The crew had no choice but to listen to her request. She let Karoo, her bird, get off. Skye, Ace and Zoro stayed on the ship as the others got off with the bird to see what it was the princess was doing. Also, it was unsafe for her to be off the ship alone. At least the others could provide some sense of backup should someone be waiting for them to make their way ashore. Skye watched as Vivi placed a letter in a special pocket on Karoo's saddle. The bird looked up at her with teary eyes as she explained what she needed it to do for her. It was dangerous in the desert, to travel alone or with a group. The crew watched as the bird ran off into the desert, going as fast as his duck feet could carry him. He left a cloud of dust in his wake behind him. Skye sighed to herself. She hoped that he would be able to get whatever message it was that he was carrying to the King. She hoped it would help the country as a whole. There was only so much pirates could do to help a revolution. They were known as hardened criminals with no remorse for what happened. However, Skye possessed a bleeding heart. She couldn't stand by idly and watch a nation fall to ruin.<p>

"While I did know Crocodile was here in Alabasta," Ace told Zoro and Skye, "But him trying to steal a kingdom? That sounds like a bad joke."

Ace turned away from the crew, leaning up against the railing. He looked positively bored, probably because he didn't make a habit of sticking his nose in other people's business like Skye did. This sort of thing was a touch drab for him and a little unnecessary. He was staring up at the sky, not looking at Zoro and not looking at Skye. He was trying to play the role of the wiser seasoned pirate, giving the first mate advice, or at least a fair warning. Skye was pulling out all the stops to help the crew, because in turn it helped her, plus she had taken to the crew and would be devastated if something happened to them. She supposed that it was the best to give the advice to Zoro because Luffy sure wasn't going to pay attention to whatever his brother had to say. Zoro was also the most likely to take what Ace said with the most amount of consideration. Nami might just tell him not to worry. Usopp would freak out. Chopper was young, naïve. Luffy was Luffy. Vivi had enough on her plate to worry about. Though, Sanji might have also understood this lesson well and perhaps even agree to it.

"Perhaps because it is," Skye answered.

Both Zoro and Ace turned to look at her in surprise that she had said something so solemn when she seemed so happy. Truth be told she knew a lot darker secrets than the whispers of what Crocodile was doing. She dealt with the heart of human corruption and saw very little good left in the world anymore. Luffy's crew was the first she had ever seen that actually seemed to care what happened to the lives that were going to be lost should a battle ensue. Whitebeard cared, to a degree. He had the most territory out of any pirate in the world, all under his protection, but not all of them were under his protection of course. Some were still open to slave trade. Ace pushed away from the railing and turned away from his younger brother's crew. He still didn't turn to face Zoro or Skye. She wondered if he was trying to play for an air of mystery or was he just challenging Zoro to look beyond what information they had already been given? She knew she had to take what she already knew into account but to regard it with a grain of salt because information could be misinterpreted. One tiny detail could change everything.

"Right, because why would a pirate drop anchor in one spot and settle down? Crocodile trying to usurp the throne of Alabasta doesn't make sense," Ace sighed.

"All right! Let's set sail!" Luffy cried.

"Hold on!" Usopp screamed.

Ace started walking towards the stairs, perhaps to help shove off with the others. They couldn't stay in one place for long or else Baroque Works might catch up with them and try to kill or capture the princess. They were helping one another on their mission, at least until they got to Yuba and then Ace was off to find Blackbeard. Skye knew that once he defeated Blackbeard, he would go back to Whitebeard's crew. Something about the look in his eyes upset her though. She knew Ace as well as she knew herself, so he knew when she was upset so she was doing her best to mask it. She was afraid of the Devil Fruit power that Blackbeard got. She wanted nothing more than to question him relentlessly on what the fruit looked like so she could find it in her book of Devil Fruits, one that Thatch had given her before he died. She sighed sadly as she thought of her fallen brother. He wouldn't want her to mourn him, but she would like to know where his grave was so she could say a prayer and place flowers there at least.

"You know, there could be another side to this take over thing," Ace continued, "Like some sort of deeper goal or something…"

"Real poetic Ace," Skye shouted after his retreating figure.

He chuckled and went down to help pull up the anchor. He tossed a wave over his shoulder as he walked away. She sighed in exasperation because of her friend. He never changed and there were times when she was grateful and other times where she wanted to bash her head against a wall because of just how pigheaded and stubborn he could be. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. Whitebeard was the same at times but she let him get away with it because of his age, his strenght and how he practically earned the right to be extremely arrogant because of his accomplishments. Zoro glanced over at Skye. She was about to follow her friend's lead when the Straw Hat first mate grabbed her arm, keeping her in place. She turned to look at him with a curious look on her face. He wasn't in a joking mood, or really when was he ever in one? It would have been interesting to see him with a smile as happy and carefree as Luffy's. He looked like he was considering hurting her if she didn't tell him what he wanted to hear. Skye had dealt with men just like that so she knew how to act around them. It was always best to do as they wanted.

"Do you know anything about this?" Zoro asked.

Skye grimaced. He was trying to use her 'information' for his own gain but really, she only knew just a little bit. She thought it was nice, how protective he was of his crew. Orion defended her yes, but he would never outright say that he cared about what happened to the rest of the crew. He was the most emotionally distant. Domino was another who did not hide how he felt. He loathed the crew with all of his being, hating that he was in debt to pirates of all people. He would have rather have been arrested and sent to Impel for his crimes than to have to work with pirates, but he was stuck that way because he favored life over the death that Orion threatened him with should he attempt to leave the crew or cause anyone harm. Domino was the one who Skye was the most wary of. She could see him slipping poison into cups or slitting throats in the middle of the night because of a grudge.

"Whispers here and there," Skye said, "Any reputable source is killed before any of our men have got to them. Then our men die in 'accidents.' That's why Blue sent me to take a look."

"Aren't you afraid to die like the rest of your men?" Zoro questioned.

"I'm the best," Skye countered, "That's why Blue sent me. I've seen worse."

Zoro noticed how she didn't say whether or not she was scared to die. Perhaps she had already faced death so many times she was no longer afraid, or it could have been that she was too terrified to actually say she was afraid of what would become of her if she had been overwhelmed in battle. She was strong, but Baroque Works was strong as well. This wasn't a stroll through the East Blue like the previous half of their journey had been. This was the Grand Line, there was a reason it was called the pirate graveyard. Crews were lost and others died while others still gave up because they knew they were too weak for the second half of the Grand Line. The first mate of the Straw Hats knew this could very well be one of the most difficult battles they had ever faced in their entire lives. Zoro knew nothing about her powers. She could have a strange and powerful Devil Fruit that he didn't know about but he wouldn't learn about it until he had seen her do something for herself. Ace seemed to stop her from doing a lot of things. However, she had that trick with the water stones. Maybe those were a creation of hers. The swordsman narrowed his eyes as he glowered at her. She just casually ignored the question that he posed to her.

"But he sent you and your men alone."

Skye shrugged. It was just how things were done on their ship. No one really questioned why or how it had come into place. It just did. She and Blue were really the only ones to work together to accomplish something. She was partnered with Domino and Orion from time to time but that was only when a killing had to be done. Skye found the target, Domino or Orion killed them. They never really worked together to actually accomplish something. Domino in particular was hard to get along with. He loathed her more than anyone else on the ship. Orion tended to act as a buffer when he could but he couldn't always be there. Blue most certainly couldn't send her out alone sometimes. This was one of the few occasions where she was off on her own. Blue wanted to come with her but they needed to keep the Artful Dodger in the waters near Brudell Island or else Irine and Sarah wouldn't be able to find their way back to the ship. They would rather die than abandon a crewmate so Skye told them she would be fine on her own. She had been lucky since Vivi had already been adopted by the Straw Hat crew. It meant that not only was she protected but Vivi was too. Skye could look for information easier.

"I'm used to fighting alone."

Luffy was not like any other pirate she hear about in a very long time, at least on this side of Paradise. He was clueless and somewhat ignorant, but there was something about him. She didn't know what it was, but she was drawn to follow him. She was to trust him and put her faith in him. He was funny and very kind. She didn't want to think of what would happen to him if he didn't have his crew by his side. He may have died a long time ago because of his own recklessness. It reminded her of Blue and of Ace in a way. Both brothers were rather careless at times. Zoro wasn't exactly the kind of the person you want to run into at night, but he was a good man in his own rights. He was intimidating, scary, and downright ruthless, not that he had enough experience under his belt when it came to combat to even put a quiver into Skye's heart just yet. She could however, imagine past enemies licking their wounds, lucky to survive his wrath. He was quiet and tended to keep to himself.

Nami was good to Vivi, treating her like she was her own sister. It may have been the greed for the promised reward that Vivi had mentioned or because she was nice. Skye liked to believe she had a softer side to her that was being pulled by the disparity of the Princess' situation. However, she was the navigator and they put their full trust in her. Usopp was an odd, unique, a very funny man and has an oddly shaped nose. When they rested, he told Skye some fictional tales about himself. For example, he told her about his run in with bandits and how he defeated them with a hammer. She knew instantly it was a fake story because of some of his outrageous claims. Though she did find herself impressed by his knowledge of chemistry, especially involving his different 'bullets' for his slingshot.

Sanji was a gentleman. He was a kind and passionate man who cared about the food he made. He put his entire being into each meal because cooking was his greatest of passions. Looks were deceiving. She had seen Sanji kick Luffy so hard he nearly fell off the ship if she hadn't magically stopped the momentum. And Chopper was the sweetest doctor she ever knew, a touch bashful and a little sensitive when it came to the subject of abnormalities and reindeer but a good kid all the same. She had enjoyed several good conversations with him, informing him of what illnesses she knew of, how to treat them and other medical knowledge. He listened with rapt attention, taking notes. His mind was like a sponge. She had yet to fail to impress the younger boy about her medical knowledge and he had yet to fail to impress her by telling of what his Doctorine had told him. She had yet to see the crew fight with their entire beings for the sake of another but she knew they would do that for Vivi. A part of her was jealous of the blue-haired Princess to have such loyal friends, but she had Blue and she had Ace to back her up for sure.


	11. Chapter X: Skye's Promise

_Ace, Luffy, _

_I hope you guys weren't hurt in the fire. I'm worrying about both but I believe that you're okay. I'm sorry to say it, guys, but when you get this letter, I'll already be out on the sea. Things led to things and I decided to set out to sea before you. My destination will be anywhere but here. I'm gonna become stronger and become a pirate! The three of us have to become the freest pirates ever then let's meet up again somewhere. Somewhere on the big and open sea! Definitely, someday! _

_By the way, Ace, which one of us do you think is the bigger brother? Two older brothers and one younger brother. It's weird but our brotherhood is my treasure. Luffy is still a weak crybaby, but he is our little brother so take good care of him!_

_Your brother, Sabo_

Skye stared at the letter with shock written on her face. Blue, no Sabo, had written that to Ace and to Luffy but something had happened after he set sail because he most certainly wasn't sailing free when she found him. He hadn't ever sailed when she found him. Vista and Thatch taught them everything they knew about sailing to help the two of them along on their pirating adventure. A part of her felt infuriated that he didn't trust her enough to tell her this. They had been partners for a year already. He had unrightfully kept this from her – her of all people! She was his first mate. They didn't hide things from each other. Well, she never shared her past but he had never asked so that was beside the point. Sabo had never told her this. He had said that his brothers had left home already. He never told her that there was a reason why he became a slave, though she told him her reason. The questions in her head clamored and muttered, begging for attention, until she had no choice but to clap her hands over her ears and shake her head frantically, trying to rid herself of them. She had set down the letter but was staring at it intently.

"So you found it…" a voice muttered.

Skye spun around. She gasped when she found Ace standing behind her. He looked deeply upset about something. She knew it had to have been her spying. She shouldn't have gone through his things. She had no right. Her own curiosity had done her in this time. She could just see it, her charred body, delivered before Blue. She grimaced but then scrambled to think of some excuse, that it was out? It had been. It was a well loved document, but really, just because it was out on the desk gave her no right to read it. It was something personal and she just invaded his personal space. She was ready for any punishment he would dish out. She would have been furious if someone had gone through her things as well. Yet the look on Ace's face was more terrifying than anything he could have done to hurt her. She just didn't know what to say to that expression. It startled her, because she couldn't read his expression or tell what he was thinking. She swallowed thickly, heavily as she stared at the pyro-pirate.

"I-I… Ace I di-didn't mean…"

"I was going to show it to you anyways…" Ace muttered, "Someday, but I just wasn't ready."

Ace sat down on his bed. Skye followed suit, sitting next to him, but not too close to him, in case he lashed out at her. She gently folded the letter along the creases and handed it to Ace. He took it and stared at it reverently. This letter was a treasure to him. She could tell that much by the tender way he treated it. In fact, if it came between his hat and that piece of paper, she was positive he would give up his hat before the paper. If she had damaged it in any way, he might just have had to have killed her. It would have been a terrible mess, because naturally, like anyone else, she valued her life and it would have led to a rather one-sided battle, her struggling to dodge or defend while he solely attacked. She could attack back, just not with magic but what did physical attacks do to fire? Nothing – that was what would happen. Her sword would melt and burn her hand. Her flesh would char. Anything she threw at him would have been roasted to a crisp. He was his own defense system. Nothing would get past him.

"I… No, Luffy and I had another brother," Ace explained, "His name was Sabo. He used to be a Noble but he ran away from his kingdom because he could live the life his parents wanted him to."

Skye fell silent. She stared at the letter in Ace's hands, a solemn expression on her face. It was heart wrenching enough to hear about her Captain's past, but to know for sure and to have proof, it was terrible. She did understand why this was never explained. It was a difficult time in his past where everything went wrong. He could have died. She would have never have met him. She might even had died before Whitebeard's crew found her because the first night they met, he was the one who kept her pushing to stay alive. She probably would have let the Sea King eat her to put herself out of her misery. Who was to say she would have even have made it off Sabaody? Sabo had never explained this to her. She looked to Ace. Perhaps he could shed some light, unintentionally of course, on her rather silent captain. The man did need to learn not to keep secrets from his first mate. They had already been through so much together. Sharing their pasts shouldn't have been so hard but Skye feared sharing her past as well. She didn't know what he would think about her if he knew who she had been before she had become his first mate, before she had become a pirate, before she had even been marked a slave.

"He and I became friends… From there we started stealing. Don't look at me like that! We had to!"

Skye paused, bringing herself out of her thoughts to stare at Fire Fist with confusion written on her face now. She hadn't realized she was scowling. It wasn't because they were stealing. It was because Sabo never told her this himself. Was he that ashamed of his past? Was he embarrassed to tell her this part of his past? They had done worse crimes together. He had burned a World Noble's boat. There had only been marines on the ship, because Irine and Skye had freed all of the slaves, but they had killed people. Did it really make it okay just because they were saving people from slavery? Skye's moral scale was out of sorts because by killing one to save another, could be considered a fair trade, but the marines were just doing their job. They had family. They lived lives just as the slaves did before they were slaves. Skye stayed out of moral battles like that. Her emotions would get far too involved if she were to start thinking about it.

"He sacrificed himself so Luffy and I could live… And then, he tried to set out to sea after the Nobles tried to burn a place called the Grey Terminal… I suppose you could say it was the slums."

Ace sighed deeply as he looked down at the letter in his hands. The memories were hard to talk about. She wondered how much time he had spent, wondering if there had been something he could have done to prevent whatever tragedy happened in the Grey Terminal. The what ifs were the worst thoughts that Skye found herself thinking about in her line of work. It was the key to every locked door she had ever come across in her entire life because it could torment her with ideas of how things could have gone different, had she done something else instead of what she had chosen to do in the first place. If she had done something differently, would someone have lived? Would someone have died? Would she have been able to make a bigger difference? If she had been faster, stronger, smarter would something have changed? She tried to avoid those thoughts as much as possible. What if was a truly terrible question to have on the mind. It could distract anyone from thinking straightly. She wondered how Blue did it sometimes. .

"A World Noble blew up his ship on his way out of the harbor. Sabo never got to see the sea as it really was…"

Skye was horrified to find a single tear rolling down Ace's face. Her best friend was crying because of the memories she was forcing him to recall. He instantly wiped it away, because men should never cry in front of women. It was enough to make his shipmates tease him about his man-card. Ace wasn't handing that in any time soon. Skye knew that personally from the sheer number of women who would line up at the ports just to spend time with him. He left waves of broken hearts behind him when he set off. He was an attractive man, in all accounts of the word, but Skye never saw him as date worthy material. But to see tears, even though it was just one, was shocking to her, horrifying to say least. Words had lost her. She knew that Ace and Sabo had a connection. She knew that they were brothers, or so Sabo said, but not that Ace and Luffy thought that he was dead. Sabo should have contacted them, told them that he was okay, that he was just sailing the seas as he had promised them years ago that he would do, just a touch late but still sailing nevertheless. She had no idea what was going on in Sabo's head. She never pretended she did but this was truly out of the ball park for confusing.

"A-Ace…" she whispered.

"Please, I want you to find out what happened that day," Ace requested, "It's selfish of me. But please, I want to know who pulled the trigger and killed my brother…"

Skye gently touched his arm, the one with the tattoo. Her fingers accidentally brushed the flesh, over the S on his arm. Ace touched the crossed out S as well. Skye knew Ace had been struggling with some sort of guilt, but she didn't realize how badly. He had really been beating himself up over everything that had happened with his brother, and she couldn't really blame him. If she had seen such a thing, she knew that she would probably hate herself for it, too. She would have felt powerless and weak. Children often were considered weak but she grew up in an environment that taught them to be strong, to overcome what had happened and keep living. That's was why she had been able to press on after her brother and father were killed, because she knew that they would have been disappointed in her if she just gave up. She fought with all of her being to stay alive, for both her sake and Sabo's. She looked over at Ace. How would he react if he found out Sabo was alive after all those years? He might be happy but he also might be furious that he hadn't been told sooner.

"The S stood for Sabo…" Ace explained.

"Ace, what if, by chance he survived?" Skye questioned.

She knew what she was doing was risky. If Ace saw through her hypothetical situation, she would be cooked medium rare. Sabo would have been furious with her. He didn't even know that she had come into contact with Ace yet, mostly because she hadn't gotten to report back to him about the situation but he had clearly stated that if she had come across Ace she was not to breathe a word about him. Skye couldn't agree to that. She wouldn't say anything but she would hint and hopefully put them on the same island together so they had no choice but to meet one another. There had been close calls but there had been no luck so far. She wasn't going to give up. She would get those two together if it was the last thing she ever did. Then she would focus on the youngest brother and getting him and the older brothers together. Family was important in her book and now that she didn't have one anymore, knowing that her captain had one but refused to go to them was slightly infuriating. She wanted to pull her hair out and shake Sabo so hard his teeth would rattle. They thought he was dead for crying out loud!

"Dogra said it was impossible," Ace said, "His ship went sky high… We found his hat. His hat was like Luffy's hat… It never… He never took it off…"

"Let's say hypothetically then," she pressed, "What if by chance Sabo did survive but was unable to come back to you? What would you have me do then?"

"Skye, he's my brother…"

Ace looked up at her with a broken expression on his face. She was taken aback by the sheer hurt on his face. Skye knew from experience what it was like to lose a brother. She would be delighted beyond belief to have Gabriel back but she knew it was impossible, yet here was a brother, begging to know anything about the other. She had watched Gabriel get shot point blank. There was no escape from a punishment like that. She took a deep breath, trying to will her own tears away at the thought of her brother's death. Gabriel was gone and there was nothing she could do to have saved him. Perhaps if her magic had been as strong as it was now when he had gotten shot, she might have been able to save them. Back then, she didn't even know shielding spells. She never really had to because there was no need to defend herself. She had never been attacked. Mages rarely squabbled amongst one another. If they did, the Guardians stopped them from hurting one another because they had been chosen by the King as the strongest mages to protect the peace and the people from themselves or from outside forces.

"I will find out everything, from who pulled the trigger to the wind current," Skye swore, "You have my word."

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><p><strong>Next chapter, Sabo comes back in because it will be from his point of view, a flashback if you will about how his crew began... Much needed, I know...<strong>


	12. Chapter XI: Sabo's Side

**To help myself, and my readers keep the Blue Masquerade Crew straight I'm using this to show how each member came to become the pirate that they are.**

**Speaking of which a great youtube vid to watch along with reading this is:**

**http: / www . youtube . com / watch?v= sv11LoVoh3M&feature =related**

**I can't watch it without wanting to cry.**

**Also, I'm trying to make the paragraphs shorter… On my computer they look small but on others they look extremely large. So I'm cutting the paragraphs in half so one large paragraph becomes two smaller paragraphs. **

**Basically, this is the first chapter, from Sabo's point of view. What was he feeling when he heard Skye?**

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><p>Exhaustion slowly numbed his body, mercifully numbed his mind; he ceased to be a human being, became a mere appendage of the Noble who owned him, a tool, a lost, damned creature. After his work was done for the day, he would go back to his cage, shoulders slumped, legs heavy, bloodshot eyes burning inside his skull. He was treated worse than an animal. Dogs, when kicked, were allowed to howl. But Slaves had to keep it inside themselves until it tasted so bitter that they wanted to vomit. A man could only take so much abuse. And to the injustices that had been for so long a bitter taste in his mouth was now added to dull rage at the forces which drove him almost against his will. He hated poverty. He had resented the injustice forced upon him and when he was young, he had cried out against sins of sins, the degradation of man by man, believing the world held few things more precious than human life but to disregard that was horrific.<p>

He felt that no human being needed to go without his portion of comfort and happiness. The world held enough of it for everyone and if some had it less than others it was because men had ordered it so and it lay in men's hands to order differently. He missed the days where he had been just a child and had asked the different people in the Grey Terminal to hear their stories. He had been such a naïve dreamer to believe that the world was full of good people with just intentions. He thought that piracy would be the greatest way to escape a life determined for him, however, with his escape, he had been captured by slavers, only after he drifted for miles and miles on the ocean. He thought he had been saved when they pulled him on their ship. They snapped an exploding collar on him when he was resting, fed him little, gave him little to drink.

Now he was being sold again. He was barely into his later teens, just turning seventeen. He was considered one of the lucky ones. He had been a slave for seven years. He hardly had as many scars as other slaves had. He was still alive, if he could count being crippled by his blindness and a slave alive. Everyone in the audience sat straight. This was the part of the auction they'd been waiting for, and the clink of gold provided the backdrop as an unfamiliar woman was led out onto the stage. She said her name was Mia, at least before she had been named slave 530 by the slave holders.

Sabo had spoken with her when his owner got bored with him. It also didn't help that his previous owner got into a spot of financial trouble and decided to sell him to make a profit. Mia was good to him when he told her this. This was why slaves were told not to form friendships. Slaves were sold off to prevent that, so that they never bonded and decided to rise up and fight for one another against those who bought them. She stood unnaturally still, even Sabo couldn't hear her moving, as the auctioneer began taking bids.

As the prices climbed, Sabo felt his stomach turn. No one had to explain how the auction worked, but he just feared being bought by a World Noble, the other Nobles he could deal with. They didn't kill people as easily as the World Nobles did. The World Nobles pretended that their 'spoils' were nothing more than ill bred dogs, the fact remained that they were little more than slaves. Apparently the girl had been pretty. The auctioneer spoke of how gorgeous she was and how any man would be lucky to have her. She sold for fifty million beli. Sabo listened intently as she was told to step off the stage and sit by her new owner. He wished her the best in her life, hoping she had a good master. He had spoken to her before. She used to be a singer until one day, a woman got jealous of her talent, because the man she loved fell in love with Mia for her ability. The spited woman hired slavers to capture Mia, instead of trying to learn to sing as well as Mia did, and the next thing Mia knew was that she was being sold. This was only her second time being sold.

The next slave was brought out and Sabo looked down in horror, unable to 'look' upright. He recognized her footsteps, soft, light and delicate. Mia had told him about her when she found out he was blind. She described all of the slaves to him, so that he would know, down to the very last detail. This little girl's name was Kiku. She was younger than he had been when he was brought into slavery – only six. She looked like a glum little red headed girl with dashing freckles and blue eyes. Instantly, that brought up the memory of a pouting Luffy that had been altered to possess Ace's freckles and blue eyes. Sabo wanted to throw himself down and sob.

It wasn't fair. She was just a kid, but he had been too. What had the world come to if children were being sold off into slavery? What had the world come to if there was slavery at all? She only went for thirty million beli and stepped down to sit by an older woman that Sabo hoped was a family member that would free her, or at least a sympathetic Noble, or at least a Noble who could give her a proper life. He wished her the best too, because really, it was the only thing he could do.

And then the next slave was brought out. The man was a former shipwright for a Noble or so Mia had said. His name was Damien. He was huge, strong and dangerous to anyone around him. In fact, he had tried to kill a handler. The announcer told the audience this but that only seemed to spur them on even more. As the bidding slowed down, a man raised his hand at ninety million beli. A few other people bid, but it soon became a battle between him and someone Sabo didn't recognize. He supposed it was impossible to know how many people had come to buy slaves over the years.

The former shipwright was bought for two hundred fifty million beli. With a good strong man like that, it was a surprise that he did not go for more. Sabo felt someone grab his chains. He was then thrust upon the stage. He staggered, only for a moment but then started to walk. His steps were firm upon the ground, but not too firm. He had been trained by his first master to sense his path beneath him by touching the ground and listening to the sounds it made. He could now walk without bumping into anything thanks to his first master.

"Next we have Slave 678. He worked in a blacksmith's shop for the past 4 and a half years and before that he was a tailor's assistant for a Noble," the announcer told the crowd, "Mind you he's blind but he's not too harsh on looks either."

A murmur went through the crowd as Sabo was paraded onto the stage. He scowled as the bidding began, the prices quickly skyrocketing. A man raised his hand to bid two hundred million beli. The bidding slowed down but climbed to three hundred million before he bid again. As he went back and forth with another, he realized that whoever was on the other side of the room was the same person who'd bid on the previous slave. Having lost the other man who had worked as a shipwright for a Noble, the man was far more tenacious for the next strongest slave he could find. Forty million. Fifty million. Fifty five million. Sixty million. Seventy million. Eighty million. Ninety Million. Ninety five million.

Sabo grew impatient with the auctioneer's small increases and indicated with his hands that it was going up and up. He wanted this to be done with. So long as he didn't have to suffer the World Nobles, he was fine with anyone. Perhaps if he was really lucky, his owner might free him. Yeah, like that would ever happen. Gasps went through the audience. One man bid one hundred million. Another man raised the bid to one hundred fifteen million. For a moment he thought the other man might bid again, but the auctioneer's voice rang clear as he declared the sale.

Sabo was taken off stage and led to a man. His face lost all color. He could smell the chemicals that hovered around the men. No matter how many showers they took, no one could get the smell of burnt flesh and the anesthetic out of their skin. He was one of the unlucky few who had been sent to work with the Marking Group. The Marking Group was an organized group who burned the World Nobles' mark into the backs of the slaves. Several more men and women were sold before the auction ended, so had any hope that Sabo had of freedom. Slave who worked with the Marking Group normally died within two to three years because of lung poisoning, malnutrition or overworking.

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><p>Five months in and Sabo wanted to die. He considered running, so his collar would explode. He hated his job. He hated his life. He hated his master. He hated himself. He hated many things. It was only eight in the morning and a slave had already been brought in to get marked. He lived in the workshop where they marked people. He was chained in the corner, sleeping on a bed of hay and straw. His clothes were worn and torn. His master was experimenting with him, trying to work him harder but feed him less. Each day, Sabo received less food. He was predicting that he wasn't going to last much longer. Working nineteen hours a day and sleeping for less than that while getting no time to rest or eat would do that to a person. Suddenly a kick, delivered to his side, brought him out of his thoughts. He didn't grunt. He never gave a sound when he was abused, which pissed off his captors even more because they couldn't get the same satisfaction out of beating him.<p>

"Get up, dog," his owner hissed, "The World Nobles are coming to watch this one! I don't want you embarrassing me!"

"Yes, sir," Sabo said monotonously.

He got to his feet, patiently waiting for his master to unchain him. His collar remained on, even as a pillow was thrust into his hands. He didn't have to see to know that there was a slave collar upon the silk pillow. He could feel its weight. He hated the fact that he was holding the instrument that would hold another captive. The person that was being enslaved came in screaming. It was apparently a girl, due to the higher pitched and angry shouts. She was even screaming profanities towards the World Nobles. Sabo had to admire her spirit. It wouldn't be long before she was broken though, just as he had been, just as the shipwright had been, just as Mia had been and countless before them. She was thrown down at his feet. He knelt down, wishing someone had done this for him, comforting him before he had been enslaved. He would have liked some false hope even if it had been a complete lie like it had been.

"Just breathe. It'll be over soon enough," he soothed.

The doctor hit her with an injection before she could say anything to Sabo. He knew she wanted to say something because he could hear her mouth open. He heard her swallow thickly. Apparently, she was closer to him than he thought. He could hear the skin being punctured and the woman's pained gasp. The injection was a creation by Vegapunk, forcing the body to feel pain before shutting down so the body didn't have to cope with the pain it would later feel. It was flawed naturally, not that anyone aside from slaves had it tested on them.

He didn't have to see to know her face was most likely scrunched up in pain, just like the many others who had come into the shop and the many others who would come after her. She was pulled away from him and strapped on the table by the guards. Sabo knew the sounds to the very pathetic struggle and whimper the victim would give as the injection worked its way through her body. He almost wished for the day his body would shut down. He had nothing to keep him going anymore except the promise he made nearly seven years ago to Ace and to Luffy. Without that, he probably would have fled, letting his collar do the rest of the work for him. It would be instantaneous.

"How are you, slave?" Sabo's master questioned and when he received no response he barked, "Answer when spoken to, girl!"

Sabo heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh. His master had hit the woman because she gasped, the breath whooshing out of her lungs as though she had just been punched in the solar plexus. He had to have hit her in the face, because her breathing was still just as haggard but if he had hit her in the stomach she would have been completely winded. Then he could hear the iron being lifted, the hissing steam coming off the metal. He closed his eyes, as if it would block out the sound. The screaming was his least favorite part. Sometimes the screams haunted his memories and he had dreams about a seven year old Luffy being branded or Ace being branded.

Those were always the worst memories, but then he remembered his own branding, how deeply he wished to be rid of the flesh marking his back. He wanted his skin back. He wanted his life back. He would never have it so long as the World Nobles remained in power and remained corrupt as they were. They did not deserve the positions of power they were granted. Sabo wanted them dead. However he was brought out of his thoughts. The process had started. He could already smell the smoldering flesh and ash. And she screamed loudly.

"Please!" she begged, "Please, just let me go!"

Sabo sighed to himself. She was no different from the hundreds of people he had seen through those rooms. Her burnt flesh had made him cough. He wanted to throw up, to scream, but that would only get him beaten. Begging did nothing. Bartering did nothing. Threats were completely useless as was reasoning. It was a shame. He hoped for the one day where someone would be able to stand up. The guards unchained the woman, forcing her to her feet. He was pulled forward. He was going to be the one to clasp the collar around her neck. That was another part of his job he hated.

He was the one to collar people. In a way, he was taking away their freedoms and everything that made them who they were but strapping that collar around their necks. He was just trying to survive in order to escape one day. He had tried several times when he was younger, before they decided to strap him with an exploding collar, because there had been a few owners who frowned upon the collars. Now every slave owner used them, whether they wanted to or not, by orders of the World Nobles. He hated those who were too cowardly to stand up against the collars. They needed to grow a backbone and think. How would they like it if they had been the slaves and the slaves were the owners?

"Put a collar on her. I want her in my room by tonight. And I expect my room to be clean when I get there, slave."

"Put a collar on yourself," the pained woman hissed.

Sabo's eyes widened. The others in the room gasped in surprise at her language, the boldness of her words and how she truly believe that what she was saying was right. She sounded pained, yes, but she also sounded like she would fight until the very death to keep that collar off of her. Sabo had seen, well, technically heard, full grown men sobbing for the pain to stop, howling to be let go but she was not on her knees. The anger in her voice spread like a venom in the air. He wanted to know now, more than ever, the name of the person who thought that they could get away with this.

He never learned names before but he never really bothered asking, one because he would get beaten but two because that meant emotional ties to that person, like with Mia at the auction house or the little girl, whose name Sabo had now blocked from his mind because he did not want to think about what had become of her. Never before had anyone fought back against the Nobles, not after being branded. Was she standing? How was she able to do that? The anesthetic was supposed to kick in by now and overload the system by now. Instead, he heard heavy breathing. He could feel something shifting around him, almost welcoming him, but it was strange, comforting and soothing but he had never felt anything like it before. It was almost like an old friend, greeting him for the first time.

"You did not just address me, you insolent commoner!" the woman roared, "You are my slave! You are not to talk-"

"If anyone's the animal here, it's you."

He felt fear for the first time in a long time. He tried to step back but the chain holding him in place was pulled downward as the guards dropped. If he moved back any further his collar would explode, killing him. A voice in the back of his head told him to step towards her, towards the woman. It would help his collar keep from exploding but something whispered that she was safer than what he thought. He could feel something tingling around him, soothing him and easing his nerves. What could it be? He never felt anything like this before. If only he could see. What was going on must have been something truly worth witnessing, but he was only there as a listener. It made him clench his jaw to fight the sudden ache in his chest for his long lost sight. The tingling feeling only got stronger as he moved closer.

"You wanted a magic show, right? That's why you called dad here… Well, I hate to burst your bubble, you damn bitch, but he wasn't the half mage you thought he was."

He couldn't move. He couldn't run. He couldn't even escape. However, as he looked at the girl, or at least in her general direction, he couldn't help but feel something he hadn't felt in years, hope perhaps? He didn't know. He could almost picture her with Ace's defiant eyes, especially when someone told him to do something. However, he knew she wasn't like Ace. She was different, naturally because she was a woman but she didn't seem to have the same strength Ace had. But it still brought something forth in him that he hadn't thought about in years.

Hope was something he had not felt in a very long time. The lock on his collar clicked and it dropped to the floor. It didn't explode. It didn't even spark. His hands went up to his throat, feeling the bare flesh for the first time in years. There was a light ring around his neck from years of receiving no light to the skin but it was darker than one would expect because the collar had sat there for so long, rubbing and brushing against the flesh. Tears welled up in his eyes. He had a reason to live.

"So let's start the show…"


	13. Chapter XII: Separation and Secrets

A few days passed as they walked through the desert, however, Skye and Ace found themselves separated from the main group. Skye felt that it was a good thing. She found herself enjoying her time with Luffy's crew. She was supposed to be the 'adult' there. She was supposed to be the wiser, mature and more seasoned pirate yet this crew made her feel like she was fresh on the sea again with the excitement and exhilaration of a fledgling once more.

However, Luffy also needed to learn not to depend on his brother or Skye to take care of the threats for them. Skye offered information as to why Eramalu dried up and dance powder. Ace killed a giant Sandora Dragon, thus providing food when Luffy had let some birds steal their supplies. Skye had water that she gave out, now her own supplies were depleted, something she never let happen unless she absolutely had no choice. She had also used her magic to cool down the crew several times, first because she thought it would be nice but all the times after that was because she felt terrible for Chopper and his coat of fur.

"Luffy," Ace sighed, "Hey, do you see Nami anywhere?"

"Um, Ace, I think we're lost…"

Ace suddenly looked up. His eyes went wide. Instantly his head jerked up in surprise. He looked around trying to spot his brother but the boy was nowhere to be found. Skye could probably use a spell to find them, but she would have to have the root of an ash tree, but she unfortunately did not carry that around with her at all times. Worse things could have happened. Besides, she wasn't too worried about the fledgling pirates. They would be fine. After all, when the cats were away the mice came out to play. They would be okay without their guidance. Ace needed to realize this but his protective big brother side was overwhelming.

Apparently, Crocodile had mages under his control. It was never said outright but they were described as men with demon like powers, even beyond the imaginations of Devil Fruits. So Skye assumed magic. Magic could reach beyond Devil Fruits. She could swim. Devil Fruit users could not. It was useful, but her magic was always going to be perpetually weaker than Devil Fruits. There were pros and cons of both. Skye particularly liked swimming but the danger of being attacked by a Devil Fruit that she simply couldn't overpower was frightful. She continually trained herself so she could grow stronger.

"What the-?"

"We've lost both groups now," Skye said patiently.

"Why did you follow me?" Ace demanded, "You know I get lost just like Luffy!"

Skye laughed at the angered and indignant look on his face. She had only followed Ace because she was worried what he would do on his own, but she also believed that Luffy and the others would keep up with them, because Ace and Skye had been leading the way down the path, behind Nami and Vivi. She felt the crew would be fine on their own. She would have just left, but she still didn't know what Crocodile was up to just yet. But she had to hurry and find out because as soon as she was done helping Vivi she had to sail off to find Dragon.

That in itself is a hard task because the man never stayed in once place very often but he had promised to be near or around the vicinity of Alabasta in the next week so Skye was on a bit of a time crunch with getting the information to Dragon because if she did nothing, he was sending in Revolutionaries to take care of the job themselves, whether or not there was a job to be done in the first place. She would rather the Revolutionaries not get involved, because it sometimes led to the death of the monarchy in the countries that they tried to liberate, while sometimes that was just, there were times when the monarchs were innocent and young princes and princesses were kill to make sure they would not try to take to the throne when they grew up as a revenge for killing the rest of their family. Revolutionaries were ruthless.

"Relax. They will be fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because while Luffy is incredibly thick, he would never let something harm his crewmates."

Ace nodded. He knew that she would write about this later, what had happened between the two of them. This would be forever documented for the world to see. Perhaps that was why he was always on his best behavior, or at least that's how Irine joked about it. He was under observation that would later be displayed to millions of people across the seas, if Skye's ambition had anything to do with it. Skye merely laughed it off. Ace thought her 'hobby' was cute but she was doing it as a job, one she enjoyed yes, but everything she did was for Blue's benefit. She never even considered her own dream anymore because Blue's dream had become hers as well. She couldn't imagine herself doing anything else other than trying to work for him, writing his books alongside him. He was proud of her work, but she was too.

"This could be a chance for them to learn to take care of themselves," Skye continued, "They aren't always going to have the two of us watching over them, despite how much we would like that."

A sly smirk crossed Ace's face. Skye raised a fine eyebrow, interested in whatever he had thought about. He didn't have to ask if she wanted to know because he knew she did. She liked conversing with him after all. She loved challenging his mind to think, finding out his opinions on things and learning what he knew while teaching him at the same time. Ace wondered how it had come to that. How they had become friends over nothing, but it still brought a smile to his face. He did love teasing her. She teased right back and gave it back as good as she had it but he loved taking her by surprise and seeing that look of surprise on her face.

"Oh-ho, you don't happen to _like_ my little brother, do you?" Ace teased, "I can't say he's your type."

"My type, Ace? And what exactly is my type?" Skye questioned.

"It's none of my business but I can't say I'd be comfortable with my best friend being with my little brother…"

Skye laughed. Luffy was a good kid and all but he was just that – a kid. She was three years his senior but had the experience on the seas of someone who was thirty years his senior, granted she had never seen the seas thirty years ago, barely being twenty herself but she knew plenty of pirates who told her the stories, warning her off the seas but she couldn't stay away. She didn't particularly care for the seas, but the land in between the seas and the true land. The beaches could be her home. She would be happy there, but again, as a pirate, she had given up the normal life she could have had. It was all for Blue.

"Then it's a good thing the only thing I feel for your little brother is that of perhaps an older sister."

"You'd be a good sister, I suppose… But I'm glad you've taken a liking to him. I was worried you wouldn't like him and would refuse to help him."

Skye tilted her head to the side. She wouldn't just abandon Luffy now. She knew he was something special when their ships crossed paths on the sea, when she gave him food in return for directions. He had been so open about helping a stranger when she had given little – or seemingly little – in return. Luffy was a good kid. She just hoped to see more of him in the future. Marines always did seem to knock out some of the 'good' pirates relatively quickly but names like Trafalgar Law – who had just physically rearranged the bodies of everyone in a village in the Northern part of Paradise – and Eustass Kidd – who had slaughtered an entire village for laughing at his dream to find One Piece – roamed free. It hardly seemed fair.

"But he needs to learn to do take care of himself. Not to say your skills aren't useful, but I don't want him to see it as the key to everything. You and Blue seem to realize that, but Luffy…"

"Ace, he's the type to make me have doves fly out of his hat and magically create flowers out of nothing," Skye reasoned, "Or pull gold coins out from behind his ears…"

Ace sighed. Luffy had freaked out over her doing dishes. He could see that she had a point, but he was a brother, naturally he worried, but this was also Luffy. There was no easy route for him. It was his way or no way at all. Nami had told her that they actually had a log pose to another island, but that Luffy had smashed it, saying that Miss All Sunday wasn't going to be the one to decide where there ship sailed. She could see that he was strong and determined, not ready to take any shortcuts in becoming the strongest. Perhaps he would have no use for her other than a sometimes companion who merely conversed with him, or showed him magic tricks of a parlor trick type level.

"You're right but… I just worry."

"You have every right as an older brother to worry," Skye agreed, "But you also need to stop sheltering him. He has the right to know that everything in the world isn't sunshine and daisies."

She bowed her head, memories flashing from behind her lids as she recalled just how cruel people and the seas could be. She could still hear the marines screaming from when the Sea King attacked them that day. Blue had saved her life, she had saved his but she felt particularly indebted to him. He saved her mentally and emotionally. Without him as her rock, she might have just succumbed to depression and killed herself. Her family had been murdered, she had everything taken away from her but Blue gave her hope – something that even Whitebeard and his crew couldn't do, perhaps because they were kindred spirits or because they had bonded over their harrowing journey away from Sabaody, but she trusted him more than any other.

"We don't need him to learn that the hard way, like I did."

"What do you mean?"

Skye cringed. She had forgotten for a moment that she had kept her past a secret one of her most guarded and treasured secrets. He had no idea she was a slave. She intended to keep it that way. It was just difficult talking about her past when Ace knew nothing about it. However, she knew 'nothing' about his past. He never spoke about it, but Blue sure did. She had written Blue's childhood, from every point that he could remember. His moments with Ace and Luffy were the ones he remembered the best, with the most amount of color and vivid descriptions. It was also when he was his happiest, but then he would grow solemn for a few days, not speaking to anyone.

"Nothing much…" Skye lied, "Getting information isn't exactly easy."

Ace nodded his head to that. He had found it difficult to find any information on Blackbeard, even with the Blue Masquerade crew helping him. Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The two of them looked up to see where it came from. It was still morning and their shadows were in front of them. Since the sun rose in the East and set in the West, it was apparently to the North. Skye couldn't see smoke or anything of the sort but she knew she heard something. She flicked her gaze over to Ace but he was just as equally confused as she was, uncertain as to whether or not they should get involved but then both of them shrugged, nothing they could do.

"Strange," Ace remarked, "I thought I heard something."

"I heard it too," Skye said.

A sand mass appeared out of the ground in front of them. Skye tensed as she stared at the large amassing sand pile. What if it was Crocodile, or his mages, attacking so they didn't have to worry about her later? Did he even know she was in Alabasta? They were being attacked, perhaps by another Sandora Dragon. Once the creature was fully unveiled, Skye found herself staring at a large Scorpion. The stinger was raised, right above the two of them. Ace's eyes had been wide but the moment he saw the stinger his eyes narrowed. The stinger was closer to Ace than it was to her. The creature was as large as the Moby Dick itself. However, both seasoned pirates stared up at it in a sort of mute apathy. They had seen more terrifying things in their lives as pirates.

"You asked for it," he told it.

"Ace, do you want me or do you want to take it out?"

Ace looked at her for a moment, considering what she said. There was a smirk on his face as he thought her offer over. She smirked back as well. He was about to start one of their sarcastic banters that they rather enjoyed. It was just one of the ways that they continually teased one another over small, stupid things. They always politely asked who should take out the monster or thugs. Ace normally did it but she would fight when stealth was required. Ace was a burn–all sort of fighter. They liked taking turns, but normally, she would fight the human targets, no trace, unlike fire. She left no physical mark of being there unlike burns.

He would eliminate the serious threats. Both of them probably knew that he would take care of this monster. It was a threat. It could come back and harm them if it was merely stunned, frozen or put to sleep. She did put the howler monkeys from the last island to sleep the last time they had been together. Ace was disappointed in the lack of a fight that she had engaged in, but he understood her methods just as much as Blue did. She was a pacifist by nature. It was better off that Ace would kill the beast, that way no one else got eaten by it later.

"I did take the dragon earlier," Ace said, "Do you want it?"

"I would like to make sure our friend won't come back to find us again…" Skye reasoned, "Why don't you?"

"Are you sure?" Ace asked, "I'd hate to be rude…"

Skye smiled. It was a part of their banter. They would treat it like it was only proper manners to ask, like holding open a door for a lady or pushing in her chair before a meal, though they were pirates and only Blue followed the rules of etiquette. She didn't know when it started, but they just fell into the pattern of using it before almost every fight. They both jumped out of the way as the stinger lashed out. Apparently, the Scorpion wasn't waiting for them to come to a decision as to who should either kill it or stun it. Now that it had attacked, Ace didn't hold back. Ace hated being interrupted in a conversation more than anything.

"Fire Fist!"

Skye rolled out of the way as flames licked the beast. She gasped as she stumbled and rolled down a sand dune. At least she was safe from the fire or the monster. It gave off an inhuman scream of agony as the fire roasted it alive. Eventually it was just a pink singed mass of burnt flesh as Ace landed back on the ground next to Skye. He offered her his hand to help her to her feet. She smiled and took it, allowing him to help her back up. The two of them started to walk away from the monster.

"Can't say I didn't warn ya," Ace said.

Suddenly a purple lizard appeared in front of Ace. Skye blinked in surprise. She and Ace stepped to the right, to go around, but it also stepped to the right. So they tried left, but the lizard mirrored their step. Skye grimaced. She wasn't in the mood to play games. They stepped right and then left. The lizard followed. Then they tried two steps right but again the lizard blocked them. Ace was growing more frustrated.

"Do you wanna get in our way too pal?" Ace asked.

The creature cringed and started crying at the sight of the singed scorpion behind them.

* * *

><p>Somehow, Ace had managed to get onto the lizard and ride it like Nami and Vivi had done with the camel. It was fast, quicker than Skye could move. She reached into her satchel and brought out a shrunken parcel. Ace smiled when he saw the hand carved broom. Thatch had made it for Skye after she explained that certain mages could bewitch items to fly. She was a white mage. Her magic was supposed to be used for healing, but she broke that law of magic, she told Whitebeard, because Thatch had put so much effort into it.<p>

She bewitched the broom to fly only after Thatch had given it to her as a present. She had cried because of the intricate patterns on the wood. It had been of a beautiful mural of the sea and stars, of the sky the night she and Blue had been rescued from the sea, Skye had once explained. Once she worked it out for herself how the broom worked, she took Thatch as her first passenger. It was only natural because he had worked so hard on making the carvings for it that she had to take him as a passenger for the first flight. Skye flew beside Ace as the lizard ran, but soon the sun was starting to set. They had yet to find Luffy or anyone.

"Luffy, where are you?"

"Ace, we aren't going to get far tonight…" Skye reasoned, "We should set up camp…"

Ace reluctantly agreed. He wanted to keep looking for his brother, but they would only managed to get themselves even more lost if they kept wandering around in the dark. They could very easily pass up the Straw Hat crew because they would be wandering around like chickens with their heads cut off. They had no idea which way to head anyways. For all they know, they could head right back to Nanohana and that wouldn't be good for either of them, especially since Skye was on a time frame and Ace was chasing a lead for Blackbeard.

Skye feared that she would have to get involved when fighting Blackbeard. The man terrified her. Something about him set her on edge, he had been far too nice, far too flirtatious, far too there to be good for anyone's good. Besides, they both knew it could be dangerous in the desert at night. They had no idea what was lurking beneath the sands. Ace had gone hunting for the two of them. He had cleaned and prepared the meal for the both of them. Skye decided not to ask what animal it was. She was better off not knowing.

"So just how busy are you?" Ace asked.

Skye frowned, wondering what he could have possibly meant but then realization dawned on her face. She never had a problem talking to Ace about her work. He always seemed to understand she never had time to settle in one place for a long time. She worked her fingers to the bone to have what a life she did. They were there to fight Crocodile, protect Vivi and stop the revolution, perhaps not in that order but it had to get done, at least on Skye's list she had to protect Vivi and stop the revolution. Luffy was just there to kick Crocodile's ass all the way to the other side of the New World and perhaps back. Such was life.

The hero had the simple job but a supporting character like Skye had more things to worry about. She smiled to herself as she bit back a laugh. Such was her life since the moment she agreed to be a part of Blue's crew, she did sign her soul away to the Devil without even realizing it. Though, if Blue were the Devil then she would most certainly dine on the sin that he brought into her life with a delighted greedy heart, because he had brought so much good into her life despite making her a wanted criminal.

"I have to protect Princess Vivi. I have to find out what is going on in Alabasta for Dragon," Skye said, "He's wondering if he doesn't have to get involved…"

"Do you mean Dragon the Revolutionary?" Ace questioned.

Skye nodded. A lot of people were shocked that the Revolutionary was interested in the dealings of smaller time pirates, but with Blue's bounty of one hundred and seventy-five million beli and Skye's bounty of one hundred and twenty-five million, they were nothing to be snuffed at with a combined bounty of three hundred million. Blue Masquerade and Amelia Emeralds were two of the more well known information brokers of the seas. Skye had been embarrassed to be called Blue's 'First Lady' instead of his first mate as a few marines had dubbed her.

It was enough to make her blush darkly in embarrassment. But she let it slide only on occasion. Her crew teased her about it more than anything, mockingly using the nickname sometimes, just to get under her skin when things were rather calm on the seas. She was and always would be Skye. Amelia Emeralds was not her. The name Amelia could get more things from others than Skye ever could. It was strange, the power of a name. Skye never understood why people liked Amelia over Skye, they were both one in the same. It was probably because Amelia was the people-pleaser and the kiss-up and Skye was too kind and too gentle to do any real damage.

"That's right…" Skye said, "Then I have to report to Whitebeard and report about you. He's been asking about you, you know…"

Ace bowed his head in shame. Rumors about him leaving against Whitebeard's orders had been confirmed in the very look on his face. However, Whitebeard would respect Ace's decision, even back him up. Skye was just going to do all she could to convince the man to call Ace back. Blackbeard terrified her to the core, especially with an unknown Devil Fruit power. She had to find out what fruit he had eaten, what power it possessed and what it could do when applied properly. Skye frowned deeply. Ace was rash and a quick wick to light when it came to his temper. He was going to get himself into deep trouble one day.

"Yeah, I know…"

"Well, after I convene with him, I meet up with Dragon to tell him about Crocodile," Skye continued, "And then back to Blue."

Ace chuckled. He shook his head, wondering how Skye did it sometimes. She was just continually working, hardly enjoying the seas or the pleasure that it could provide. She was just a busy bee, following orders. It made him want to give this mysterious Blue person a piece of his mind. Skye deserved better than to be treated like a tool, and while Ace teased about her being a girl, he really thought highly of her. She was a good friend. She deserved more freedoms but she willingly chose this life. He had tried to convince her to slow down, take time for herself but she was always trying to please Blue, make him happy and accomplish his dreams. She had no dreams of her own, which was one of the things about her that just pissed Ace off to no end.

"All work and no play makes Skye a very dull girl," Ace teased.

"We can't all chase after the bad guys, Ace. My job is just to make yours a little easier," Skye remarked.

"Well, after I'm done with Blackbeard and you get a break, you and I should go out for dinner, for old time's sake," Ace decided.

Skye raised an eyebrow. She may have been skeptical but Ace meant every word. He would want a break after facing Blackbeard. Whether or not he killed someone, Ace had broken bread with this man, he had fought with him, shed blood with him, and shed blood for him. It was hard to forget a bond like that. He would need someone to talk to after it was all said and done because truthfully, Ace had not given himself the chance to mourn Thatch. He knew that if he slowed down enough to do something like that then he would be a mess, not fit as a Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, nor as the former Captain of the Spade Pirates. No one would be able to think of him as a threat if he were a crying mess and Skye always knew what to say to help him.

"Oh, so you're not paying for that dinner either, huh?" Skye teased.

He never paid for meals properly – a habit that she frowned upon but never actually commented on because she wanted to avoid a fight over it. The last thing she wanted to do was to make him angry enough to attack her. He could do serious damage with his Fire Fire Power. Their first meal together involved her paying and him dashing. The restaurant owner tried to make her pay for his meal as well since they had been dining together but she put him to sleep and left, leaving her money for only her meal of course, but the thought was still there. If they ever went out and actually paid, it was always on her dime, on stolen marine money of course.

She would never use any of her personal money on him. She was his friend yes, but he was a mooch and would probably use up every beli she had. She had potion ingredients to buy and books to get and research to do. She needed what money she had to do things that truly made her happy – like buying clothes for a poorer family, or getting toys for orphanages. He was terrible with money, perhaps why he was always flat broke and always dined and dashed. But it was mostly because of the thrill of being chased. Ace was always a little kid at heart. He told her that he and his brothers used to do it all the time. It was hard seeing Sabo do it, but she had already seen Ace do it and Luffy do it, when he was being chased by Smoker.

"Only at the Jasmine Dragon," Ace mocked.

"Oh, now that's fancy," Skye mocked.

They had dined and dashed at that restaurant before. It was only known as one of the biggest, fanciest restaurants. It was also crawling with marines. It would be a fiasco if she or Ace went with widespread chaos and fighting everywhere. Ace in particular because he was more noticeable than she was. It would be the restaurant incident all over again where Smoker recognized who he was and tried to arrest him. No one would willingly let someone with a bounty like Ace's simply walk away. They had gone once before – Skye in disguise and Ace wearing a suit. He had burned his jacket on accident and that in itself was funny but sad at the same time.

"You can even invite Blue, but tell him to bring his own girl," Ace laughed, "You'll be _my_ date."

Skye laughed. She just about died picturing herself as Ace's date, hanging on his arm, acting like half the call girls who went to him when they went to bars, trying to go home with him for the night, because to face it, Ace wasn't hard on the eyes. He just wasn't Skye's type. She would have dated someone more responsible, kinder and a little more serious. But again, dating was out of the option. She was a pirate now. Dating was a part of civilian life, of which she didn't have. She didn't care. Her captain, her captain, her captain for her life: That was all that would go through her head. She would do anything for Blue; even die if he asked it of her.

"I'm not sure how Blue would feel about your… consumption of my time, Mr. Portgas."

"Well, he shouldn't let someone as fine as you go off on your own," Ace retorted.

She wrinkled her nose. Ace had gotten pretty interested in her love life. It was time to change the topic and quickly. She didn't like talking about personal things, Ace knew that. Yet he still tried to pry anyways. It was one of the traits about him that she had to be wary of. He was a good friend, so if he asked something of her, she would probably do it, or at least tell the truth on the matter. But there were demons in her past that she didn't like discussing with him, or anyone else for that matter, even Blue didn't know her past. Her past was her past for a reason. It was no longer relevant to the present or the future and if it were, she could think it over on her own.

"You sure know how to treat a girl," Skye laughed, "I've been demoted to property."

"Well of course, a woman's only place is in the kitchens, making me a sandwich and tending to children."

"Naturally!" Skye laughed.

Skye laughed even louder. Naturally, civilians thought they were a couple with the way they openly flirted with one another, but that was not the case. Skye cared for Ace the way she cared for a brother, aside from the fact he was her older brother. Apparently he was born the first day of the year. She was born in November. She was nearly a year younger than he was. She was feeling rather nostalgic as she sat there with Ace, thinking back to all the adventures she and her brother used to go through, how much trouble they got into when they were little and how much their father scolded them for every little thing they did and how they had to make an example of themselves because they were… Skye shook her head. She couldn't start thinking about the past just yet.

"You and my brother would have gotten along very well," Skye blurted out.

Then she stiffened. She hadn't spoken of Gabriel in years, most certainly not in front of Ace. Blue hadn't even heard of Gabriel since the few months where they were getting to know one another. She hadn't spoke about him since then because it brought forth too many bad memories and bad emotions that she liked to keep as deeply hidden in her heart as possible. Those emotions and thoughts brought forth weakness and she couldn't afford to show weakness in front of anyone, not even her crew. She had to be strong because she was the first mate. She was the one that Blue depended on. Weakness was frowned upon. But now she had screwed up. She made another goof. Ace looked as equally shocked as she was.

"You have an older brother?" Ace questioned, "Why didn't you ever tell me? Do I know him?"

Skye solemnly shook her head. She bowed her head, looking down at the piece of meat in her hands. It no longer looked as appetizing as it had been moments ago. Luffy would have died to have it but she set it down on a rock that served as her plate. Ace knew that she wasn't going to give him that much of an answer on the topic now. She had that look in her eyes that meant she was going to avoid him and the topic at all costs. That look would normally happen when discussing her past, or discussing her Captain. She would just act as if no one had said anything and ignore it, or if pestered about it, she would stop talking completely to avoid answering.

"He died… Years ago…"

"Skye, I'm so sorry," Ace said, "I didn't realize…"

"No, it's fine," Skye assured him, "You didn't know."

An awkward silence fell over the two of them. Before long they tucked in for the night, trying to forget how Skye had brought up her dead brother, which Ace now felt terrible about bringing up, but he also wondered why she never told him. It hurt him to know she didn't trust him enough to tell him about it. They were friends. However, no conversation was made about it. They merely slept close for warmth. When Ace woke the next morning, Skye was gathering their things. She had his lizard ready for him to ride and her broom in her other hand. Apparently they weren't going to be talking for a while. Ace sighed deeply. Skye was even more cut off from the world than he was. When she came across a topic she did not like, she simply shut down and refused to talk.

* * *

><p>After they had been reunited and when they took care of the false rebels, Skye could finally relax again. She had been enjoying a cup of water that Sanji had given her as the cook prepared the meal for that night. She had enjoyed taking care of the fake rebels. She hated posers and she would have eliminated them on her own if given the chance, but Vivi was fine with the fact that they were con men but wanted to test the men on their courage. With a little help from Ace, and the 'vicious' pirate crew, the men proved their valor and their bravery enough so that the Princess called in a retreat so they could then head to Yuba.<p>

"Skye, why did you go out to sea?" Luffy asked.

Skye gasped. And just like that, Skye's work to forget her past was demolished. She felt rather like she had just knit a scarf, only to have Luffy yank at a loose thread and unravel it. She had started to choke on the water she had swallowed. After a moment of sputtering and coughing, and a well placed slap to the back by Zoro she managed to clear her throat. She looked up, finding that Luffy's crew and Ace were waiting for her answer. She shifted anxiously, drawing her cloak a little tighter to her person. She hadn't noticed but she had scooted away from everyone else gathered around the campfire.

"Um… Well, that's rather personal, Luffy," Skye said softly.

"So why'd you leave your home?" Luffy asked.

_It wasn't by choice._

Sanji hit his Captain over the head. It was then that Skye realized a horrified look had crossed her face. Instantly she masked it, but it was far too late. The crew had seen it. They knew that she was pained by the topic. They must have thought she was so weak and pathetic for not being able to talk about her past, let alone why she came to sea and left home. She thought back about home, feeling a pang of homesickness that she hadn't felt in years. It hit her like a freight train out of nowhere, almost making her want to grab her own heart and pull it out so she no longer had to deal with the emotion. Subtly her hand made its way to her chest, above her heart anyways. Zoro noticed as did Ace.

"She doesn't want to talk about it, Luffy!" Sanji snapped.

"I never said that," Skye said, "It's just… hard to talk about…"

She took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. Skye stared up at the beautiful clear night sky, the bright stars and full moon casting a magical clichéd sliver light upon the straw hat crew. A light breeze passed that ruffled her brunette hair. She looked over at Sanji. The same breeze that blew her hair made the embers of Sanji's cigarette glow brighter for a moment. He took another drag from his cigarette and watched the smoke form patterns before it dissolved into the night air and then turned back to the mage.

"I… It's nothing important," Skye said softly, "You just have to know Luffy, that as you go further into the Grand Line the more dangerous things get."

"I know it's gonna be dangerous," Luffy said, "But what happened?"

There was a fire in Luffy's eyes. She was sure if she named who hurt her, he would have gone after them, suicide mission or not. He would have beaten the tar out of them, made fools of them, doing exactly to them what he was bound to attempt to do to Crocodile. She wanted to tell him, but in order to tell him, she would have to tell them what they did to her, what they took from her, how they dehumanized her and that was something she still hadn't recovered enough to talk about. She could feel her tattoo burning against her back, as if the mark was being pressed there once more. Skye looked over at Vivi. Pirates – the scourge of the seal, ne'er-do-gooders, scallywags and scoundrels – were going off to rescue a nation that was falling to ruin because of another pirate, to help a friend. No one helped her. Vivi had her greatest envy.

"It doesn't matter," Skye said quickly, "I wanted more than the provincial life I had. I wanted adventure."

Ace was eyeing her. He could spot a lie on her face a mile away, perhaps in the dark and blindfolded with one arm tied behind his back. It came from knowing her so long and so well. Blue could do the same. He could tell based only on the tone of her voice and how she held herself next to him, so now she tended not to stand near him when she lied. She didn't want him to know or she would send someone else to report for her because they would believe what she would tell them as the truth, therefore they would tell Blue and because they thought it was truthful, he knew they weren't lying to him.

"Excuse me, I'm going to go scout ahead," Skye said.

She left the ring, unable to meet anyone's eyes. She couldn't talk about it. In three years it still ashamed her to let anyone know she was once almost a slave. It was horrific that even Whitebeard's crew knew but Ace, luckily didn't. Apparently, Whitebeard kept that information under just as much of a lock and key as her name and Blue's true name. She was walking around, searching for something, anything that could be seen as dangerous. There was nothing. Even with her magic she could tell there was nothing, not even under the sand, which was disappointing because now she was upset and wanted to take her anger out on something.

It seemed that the creatures she could have hunted seemed to realize that she was in a bad mood and avoided her. She eventually just sat down on a rock, in front of the camp with her back facing the campfire. It was cold out but she wasn't going back until she got her emotions under control. She was no use to anyone when she was an emotional mess. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her mind, meditate the evil out of her body like her master had taught her when she was just a little girl, just learning to use magic. Those were good times, peaceful times. She didn't have to continually fear for her life.

"Skye?"

The mage looked up, finding Ace standing behind her. He always came to her when she needed him most, Blue was there as well, when Ace wasn't but she hated going to someone else for help with her problems. She always had to take care of them on her own when she was little. She didn't get to have very many friends as a child, not because she was unlikeable but because of social status. Her father was a high powered mage so she had to grow up quickly in their circle. She had no choice in the matter, despite how she tried to cling to the past.

"Of course you come for me," she whispered.

"I convinced the others not to. They were about to pack up camp to come looking for you," Ace said, "Luffy particularly."

"I'm sorry… I just… needed to be alone," Skye said.

Ace shrugged. He sat down next to her in the sand, ignoring the reproachful look on her face as he did so. He looked up and at the starts that painted the sky above their heads, knowing that Skye loved watching stars. Her eyes could find any constellation. She knew the story of every constellation as well, even some that Ace didn't know himself. He wondered how she knew them all, if it was something she learned as a child or if she had picked it up as she sailed around. He never stopped to learn the stories of the stars, but Skye knew them. She could recite hundreds of stories – on stars or on another topic entirely.

"Listen, Skye, if you ever want to talk, about anything, even if it has nothing to do with piracy, Blue or anything else, you can, you know that, right?" Ace questioned, "You're like family…"

"Just because I'm one of Whitebeard's closer allies," Skye said.

She realized immediately she had let too much emotion into her voice because he turned to look at her, his onyx eyes studying her as she sat there under her cloak that was slipping off her shoulders. There was an unreadable expression in Ace's eyes as he sat there, trying to find meaning in what she had just said. She was hurt, that much he could tell just by looking at her. She was clutching it around her like some scared child with a security blanket which must only make her look more pathetic. Her grip on the fabric had turned her knuckles pure white from the sheer amount of force she was putting onto it.

"I'm serious. I'd have been lost without you a couple times," Ace insisted, "You always seem to know what to say."

Skye frowned. Ace wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, so that she was leaning into his side. Skye cringed immediately at the touch, trying her best to get away from him subtly. He was too close, too near her tattoo, her back, the pain, the screaming, the sting of the salt water, the roar of the Sea Kings, the screams of the dying marines, the cold of the water – it all flooded and hit her at once. It happened every time someone touched her near her back. He noticed the pained look on her face so he let her go, letting his arm drop to his side though he looked rather miffed about it. He huffed and pulled his hat down over his head so she couldn't see his eyes.

"You always do that," he commented.

"Do what?" she innocently inquired.

"Cringe away from me whenever I touch your back," Ace responded, "Why?"

Skye bit her lip. She trusted Ace, more than anything, as much as Blue and Whitebeard at least. He deserved to know why she was so skittish, why she hated people touching her, and why she was afraid of being alone sometimes but others she was afraid of being in a crowd. She never knew who to trust anymore. It wasn't like when she was a child. Things weren't black and white. There were so many shades of grey it was hard to associate what color was good and what color was bad. She removed her cloak, shivering against the night air. Then she pulled her shirt's collar down. Ace stiffened. Instantly, he looked away. His eyes were hidden by the brim of that obnoxiously orange hat of his.

"No, don't…" Skye whispered, "Please, look."

He slowly opened his eyes only to blink owlishly when he saw the mark on her back. He stiffened. She didn't dare look but she cringed when he gently brought his hand out and touched her back, as if making sure it really was there. When he felt the ruined flesh beneath his hand he pulled away relatively quickly, knowing that wasn't a fake. His friend was marked – a former slave. It certainly explained a lot of things – like her hatred for slavery, the World Nobles, slave traders, Sabaody in general and marines. He didn't know what to say. His mind had been kicked into overdrive as he stared at her back.

"Y-You…"

"I was a slave," she whispered, "And so was Blue. We saved each other. Whitebeard found us after we narrowly escaped death. That's why my debt to Whitebeard isn't repaid."

"Skye… Why didn't you ever tell me?" Ace asked.

Skye made a disgusted face at the very thought of telling him. She wanted respect from him – not pity. She let go of her collar, concealing the tattoo one again. She couldn't believe she had just showed that to him. She had hated that tattoo with an utter passion. She loathed it. Though, now that she thought about it, it felt like there was a weight off her shoulders now that she had shown Ace. She hated keeping secrets, but she hated talking about her past just as much. She shook her head – just one big contradiction. But the emotions were about the break out of her. As she looked at Ace, she knew it was a lost cause to try and fight what she felt. She had to tell him, tell him everything that had happened to her, how she felt about it. He would perhaps understand then.

"Do you think I _like_ talking about what they did to me? What I was almost forced to do?" Skye questioned, "They _branded_ me and I escaped after that because of my magic, Blue and a stranger who just happened to have a boat we could take."

Ace held her close and she let him, despite how his arms touched her back and how the emotions swirled inside her like a hurricane. She just wanted to forget but she hadn't started crying yet. Her tears had long since dried up years ago. Her voice had gone desperate now. She could hear it ringing in the air. The pent up emotion and quiet secret was bursting at the seams. She was glad that Ace was the first to know. Telling Luffy's entire crew would have been too much for her heart to bear. She already hurt enough from her past. Sharing it with another was hard enough but she didn't know Luffy's crew as well as she knew Ace.

"We all have things we don't like to talk about, Skye, but that doesn't make you any different from anyone else," Ace said.

"It's just… I was letting myself be the victim. I was feeling so sorry for myself and not doing anything to change anything…" she said, "So I changed. I made sure I did everything in my power not to hate myself."

Ace smiled sadly as he held his friend in his arms. Normally, he hated girls when they got sad, but Skye was like one of the guys. She got down and dirty. But it was also because this was what Makino did for him when she found out he was depressed about something. He knew what it was like to hate yourself. He had spent his entire childhood, loathing himself until he met his friend Sabo and then Luffy. When he lost Sabo for a while he went back to that hatred, but then realized Sabo had only done it to protect them. He hated himself for his betrayal to his brother and swore nothing would ever befall Luffy. He would give anything to make sure Luffy lived a happy life.

"I don't like looking back, being that defenseless little brat," she said, "My father died. My brother died in front of me. I just… I hate her… I hate who I used to be."

"But she's you, Skye. No matter how much you hate her, no matter how much you try to get rid of her, she's you."

"I know… And that's what scares me the most."


	14. Chapter XIII: Fight in the Capital!

**Just a bit of a time skip, but we're trying to get to Sabo. He'll be here in two chapters or so...**

* * *

><p>Skye had lost track of days because of her thinking but she had gathered a lot of information. It all blurred together. Ace had left, promising to reunite with her for more informatio for Blackbeard because his tip had been a bust. Though he said nothing to Luffy and the others about her past, but he did hover closer to her, making sure no one touched her back. They had now gotten to Alburna to stop the rebel army. She was leading Vivi to the castle to protect her while the others fought. <em>'Please, mom, I know you're there watching over me but help my… friends…'<em> she begged silently. Then she stiffened, realizing that she categorized them as friends. She considered them a big part of her life now. She had come to depend on them, perhaps as much as they depended on her for the information that she gathered.

She wasn't as independent now but it didn't feel all that bad to have her wings clipped. However, now was not the moment to consider her thoughts on the Straw Hat crew. She threw up her hand, deflecting several bullets that had been shot in their direction. Vivi had been pushed too far. She collapsed against the sand next to Skye. The mage stopped and turned to face her. She walked over to the princess. She was going to have to be harsh with the girl, though she had grown to care for her.

"Stand up," Skye ordered.

"I can't!" Vivi cried.

Tears were running down her face as the princess struggled for breath. She was breathing too hard. Skye walked behind the princess. She knelt down. She wrapped her arms around the girl herself and pulled her to her feet, forcing her to stand, leaning against Skye. Vivi was at the point of hyperventilation but they had to keep moving. Skye wasn't strong enough to carry the girl, nor was anyone else around who could do so, like Sanji or Zoro.

They were off, fighting against Baroque Works. It was funny, pirates, helping save a country. Sky had never seen anything like it, from when they found out about the Dance Powder, to the rebel forces, or when they made it to Yuba or when they went to Rain Base. She still hoped that Luffy would catch up to them. Crocodile just couldn't win. That was not how stories were supposed to go. But this wasn't a story. This was real life, but she was writing about this, so it had to end happily.

"You need to tilt your head back. Put your hands above your head. It will increase blood flow to your brain to help you focus," Skye ordered.

Vivi couldn't do it on her own so Skye held on tighter with one arm, and forced Vivi's head back, not forcefully but still, none too gently. They had no time for tenderness. They were in the middle of the battle field. Worse could happen from the enemies and they needed to hurry. She would apologize later, when they both lived because Skye had no intention on dying and she had no intention to let Vivi die either. She then grabbed Vivi's arms, one at a time and then put them behind her head, so that she was forced to comply with what Skye said..

"Now, take a deep breath," Skye said, "It will help…"

Vivi breathed deeply. After a few deep breaths, Skye no longer needed to hold her hands above her head. Vivi chose to keep her hands above her head. Slowly the princess regained her breath, only because Skye forced her to do so. But Skye moved away after a moment, letting Vivi regain her balance and what part of her sanity that was still left intact. She was going to have a lot of horrible nightmares after the war.

"Are you ready?" Skye asked.

"Let's go…" Vivi said.

Skye tore through the city as if the devil himself were behind her. She was continually looking over her shoulder to watch out for enemies. She used her magic to shield them from debris and upon Vivi's pleading; she shielded others from death as well. Skye could have considered it an abuse of her magic. They were in the middle of a civil war. Men were going to die. She held Vivi's hands as the two raced towards the square. The Devil was not after her, but Luffy's life instead. She had to get Vivi to safety before running off to aid Luffy, if he had even caught up with them, if not him, then the rest of his crew. Skye hated racing against the clock, which she literally was.

Somewhere in town there was a bomb. She could help Luffy by finding it and getting rid of it, but she feared that they wouldn't find it, or find out that there had been no bomb at all. She was just about to round a corner when she felt magic, specifically magic that dangerous. Her eyes widened. The magic was not hers or anyone she knew either, not that she knew any mages who sailed the seas like she did.

"Down!" Skye cried.

She threw the Princess down to the ground and dove to the dirt herself, covering the princess with her body just in case the magic was too powerful for her shield to manage. A shield appeared over the two of them. The spell rebounded and it destroyed the building above their heads. Rubble fell down around the two of them like dust. She had narrowly escaped being obliterated like the wall behind her was. Civilians screamed and ran away, fleeing for their lives like the rest of the town was. This was madness. Skye narrowed her eyes. She could see three figures walking towards her through the smoke. She tensed when she saw black spell books in each of their hands. Skye was quick to her feet the moment she saw those books in their hands. Crocodile had mages under his control after all. This wasn't good for her. She was outnumbered when her magic was already partially depleted and she had to protect Vivi.

"Miss not only has Crocodile placed a bounty on your head but the Council has as well," a voice said, "Yet here you are pretending to be righteous."

Skye stood protectively in front of Vivi, ready to defend her with her very life it that was what it was going to take to protect the Princess from the men in front of them. If the Princess died, all would be lost. She pulled her spell book out from underneath her cloak. Rumor had it that Crocodile had a team of mages to do what his Devil Fruit users couldn't. It looks like that wasn't a lie. He had hired renegade mages who had left the island, either willingly or by force, like herself, to work for him and only him. They would be loyal to the one who paid them the most but she had a feeling those men thought that Crocodile would give them what they wanted in their new Utopia – a lie. They wouldn't find a safe place to practice magic, except for their island, not so long as the World Government was in power. Crocodile would no sooner make them Kings than turn them over to the Government for practicing magic.

"I swore… I'd protect them…" Skye muttered.

Skye focused on the mages in front of her, not the look of surprise on Vivi's face or the way the civilians cleared the street. They were far too dangerous to allow distractions, no matter how brief it would have been. If he allowed a single thing to draw his attention away it could mean the difference of life and death – of victory and defeat for maybe him. Vivi was pretty sure Skye was fighting a battle she could not win. Just like half of Luffy's crew, she was in a battle far over her head, because Vivi herself had weakened the mage, by being selfish and asking for her to protect soldiers and civilians alike.

She wanted to grab the mage's hand and run but something kept her rooted to her spot. She was unable to flee, even though everything inside of her ached to do so. She did not want Skye to get hurt for her. She did not want Skye to die in front of her the way the other soldiers were, especially not in front of her. It was hard for the Princess to watch the soldiers die for her when she knew there was nothing she could do for them. Skye was her friend. The hardest thing to do was to watch a treasured friend die.

"You swore to whom?" the man asked.

"To no one," Skye said, "But… Myself!"

"You continue to fight for these pompous fleabags then?" the man taunted.

Skye didn't respond to the other mage's taunts. She only grit her teeth together. The screams of other men and women had softened as the five of them just stood there. Skye licked her lips nervously. Vivi had taken a step towards the four mages. The other mages were stronger than Skye was. Skye wasn't going to be able to get the other mages to get away from them.

She would fight with Skye if they had to. Two fighting three was much better odds than one fighting three. However, Skye held out a hand, making a stopping motion. She was fully focused on the fight ahead of her, but she also knew that Vivi was moving to help her. Protecting her would be hard enough, defending her while she fought back too would be too much work. She considered just using a transportation spell, but because her attention was divided, it might be too harmful to send Vivi to the palace that way. The last thing she wanted to do was Splinch the princess.

"Why?" the man asked, "They hate you. They scorn your very existence. Why fight for those who would rather send you to die in their place?"

"Shut up!" Skye barked.

The smoke finally cleared. She tensed. Three of the Council's former guardians stood before her. The two on the outside had been expelled from her island for murder. The man in the center, the one taunting her had been expelled for rape. She sneered at them. They were the scum of her village. She had been raised to hate those men. What she did was nothing compared to their crimes. She glowered at them. She wished that her old mentor could have been there to capture the men who had committed such crimes. If he had, their punishments would be death, as would hers for leaving the village and becoming a pirate but it would have been worth it to know those men wouldn't hurt anyone else.

It was times like that when she wished she was something stronger, like a necromancer or a pyro-mage like her brother. She could get away with killing another, because sometimes the magic were dangerous and uncontrollable. She was only good for defense and healing. What good were those sorts of things? She couldn't fight to defend. She had to physically attack if she wanted to cause damage, but even then her magic roared in protest because of the guards that the Council put on mages' magic to keep them in their place.

"You could have joined us," one of the men said, "Crocodile would have looked past your history."

"The pay checks the man gives are worthless, the hours are terrible. You have to have an open availability he calls on you," Skye ranted, "And the job's worse than working at a fast food joint. Kill when he says so…"

The man in the middle looked to be about thirty six with a strong, muscular build, a tall frame, and blue eyes. He had long blond hair that was slicked back off his face. He even had a light colored beard and goatee. His most intimidating feature was a prominent scar across his left brow. He wore a black cloak, hiding his outfit from Skye's view. The other two men were the same, save for the fact that their faces were hidden under their cloaks. She couldn't see them. However, their eyes had changed. They had become yellowed. She took a deep breath.

They were starting the decent into dark magic – black magic – forbidden arts. Skye bit her lip. She couldn't kill. She was a white mage. It was against her magic to do so. She looked over at Vivi. She was there for the princess, with her life on the line for the other woman. She had promised Mr. Nine and Miss Monday that Vivi would live. She told Blue she would inform Dragon on what had happened in Alabasta to stop a second revolution from occurring, lead by the Revolutionaries themselves. She had told Blue she would come unharmed, but it appeared her final and most important promise would have to be broken.

"Princess, find the others," Skye ordered.

One of the mages launched himself at Vivi. The blue haired girl screamed in terror because the man lunged at her directly and he was terrifying, so Skye didn't blame the princess. Skye drew her sword as well, blocking it with a one-handed hold on her sword. The other hand held her spell book. She uttered a spell under her breath. The man was thrown backwards, away from Vivi as almost as violently as she could manage with her magic.

"Go, Princess! Now!"

"But…"

"Just go! And remember our code," Skye ordered.

Suddenly the men twisted. Skye cringed. They were using a forbidden art – the art of human transformation. It was a sworn art that was not allowed. Once a magician used the art, there was no way for them to change back. These men must have known that. Skye instantly cast a spell that would send up a cloud of dust. The newly transformed monsters growled. They took the forms of half-men and half-beasts. One became a leopard. Another became a wolf. The third became a crow. Needless to say, Skye was going to be in for a dangerous match.

"Roses have thorns," the mage/monster growled, "This much I've come to expect. But you, my dear, poison yours. You've no sense of fair play."

"You know I hate holding back, Hatsu," one of the other monsters said, "It doesn't matter who the opponent is. I'll beat the shit out of them and make them scream in pain."

"Ouch…" she muttered.

The wolf-like creature growled at her for mocking it. It lunged, fangs gnashing and claws drawn to cut her to ribbons. Skye held up her sword, holding it back. White light began to shimmer around her blade before it forced the wolf-man back. He hit the ground with a pained yelp. Skye looked over her shoulder. A crater had been formed beneath Skye's feet and she stood in the center of it. The wolf-man got right back up and lunged at her again, this time from above. Her magic flared up again, creating a shield above her head that threw the wolf back. This time, the crater she was in deepened and the wolf-man was sent through a building wall.

A dust cloud formed around her and masked her from the monsters' view. Skye looked up and her eyes widened. A spell had been sent at her. Vivi gasped in horror as Skye completely disintegrated before Vivi's eyes. The princess fell to the ground, weak at the knees, staring at the spot where Skye had once been. She was gone, just like that Skye had been there but now she was gone, perhaps even forever and it was all her fault. She had gotten Skye involved in this mess. She had gotten Skye killed. She had promised not to die. Tears welled up in Vivi's eyes. Skye had promised not to die but she was the first to go. Who was to say the others wouldn't die too?

"Skye!" Vivi screamed.

She looked at the inhuman beasts. One of the more leopard-like men had a glowing spell book in his hands. She began to scramble to her feet to run at him, to demand he bring Skye back but someone held her back. She looked up to see a man with black hair and a black and gold vest holding her back. Onyx eyes looked down at her. She couldn't see his face because he wore a black mask over his eyes. Vivi fought out of the hold of the man who had held her back.

"Princess, it's not that kind of magic," the man soothed, "Now we must hurry."

"No! Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Orion. I am better known as Harlequin of the Blue Masquerade crew."

The man bowed to her as respectfully as any man from the court would have done for her before the Dance Powder incident. She had suitors who treated her worse than the stranger had. Was everyone in Blue's crew well mannered? They were more like nobles than pirates. Perhaps they were like the nobles of the sea. Vivi swallowed thickly as the man offered a single gloved hand to her. It was more like he was offering to dance with her silently than to lead her away from Skye. Vivi was very tempted to say yes but her duty to her friend won out over the handsome stranger.

"Now, you must hurry," Orion urged, "The castle steps are just up ahead. I will guide you there and come back for her."

There was a cloud of smoke where Skye once stood. Suddenly, someone appeared in between all of the once human monsters. Skye's sword was back in its sheath at her side but the book in her hands glowed brightly against the smoky and dark alley. She grabbed the crow-faced monster by the back of the head before she slammed him into the ground. A crater formed because of the sheer amount of magical energy she had placed behind the blow. Skye turned and faced the princess with a dark and wild look on her face. Vivi looked up. Skye was back. The princess couldn't help but feel delight welling up in her heart.

"Get out of here, Princess! Orion's trustworthy," Skye said, "He's my crewmate. You can go with him!"

Vivi nodded. She took off down the street with Orion leading the way. He would easily lift her and maneuver her out of way of danger. Skye turned her full attention to the beasts now that she knew she could handle the monsters without having to fight for two lives. Now she just had to make sure she survived long enough to reunite with Orion and Vivi and stop the bomb if she could. Her eyes widened when the crow-man lunged at her. She could see fire around his feathers. He was a pyro-mage, just like her brother. Vivi looked over her shoulder to see Skye completely surrounded in a ball of flames. She was about to run back but Orion pushed her forward.

"Don't look back," Orion ordered, "She will be just fine."

The monster-like men stiffened in horror, because she had survived without a single scratch on her, which meant that her magic was more powerful than they thought. Skye was perfectly fine once the fiery inferno cleared up. She had been pushed back and she had used her cloak as a shield. It was slightly charred with some holes in it but nevertheless she was alive and unharmed. There were skid marks in the dirt from where she had moved from her position, but other than that, no one could tell she had been attacked at all. She just looked a little more frustrated than she had a few minutes ago and the glower on her face showed it.

"You're impressive," the leopard-monster said, "I understand your power now… You can't harm us magically… You're a white mage!"

Skye sneered at the man. Dodging a hit the leopard-man threw at her, she delivered an upper punch to him in the gut. Having him float upwards and stunned for a bit. Skye twisted her body a bit before jumping in the air she flipped and used the momentum of her spin to add to the kick as she slammed leopard-man into the ground with her kick. She stood up looking at the cloud of dust from the blow only to have a hand reach out and grab her by the face and hold her up. Skye held his arm while kicking her legs trying to get free.

The leopard-wizard smirked at her. His claws grew from underneath his fingers and cut into her neck. The white mage winced. She struggled even more but his claws were in her skin. A well placed kick to the stomach made the leopard-man drop her but before she could even touch the ground someone attacking her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her chest, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. She looked down to see feathers, knowing it was the crow-mage. Flames formed around the feathers, but Skye's cloak protected her, but not the bare flesh. She cringed.

She struggled against him but he was too strong and the fire was starting to choke her as the burnt material let out black smoke. A grimace crossed her face as she glowered at the monsters in front of her. The wolf-man started to walk towards her. His spell book was glowing. A rod of steel was forming over his head. The rod started to spark as he grew closer. She was going to stab Skye with the sparking rod, perhaps even until she bled to death or until she pled for mercy. If he struck a vital organ it would be a painful death for her.

Skye leaned back and raised her feet off the ground. She then kicked the wolf-man in the stomach. He doubled over, coughing up blood, not like Skye cared. The wolf-man had after all, tried to harm her. She sent a roundhouse kick in the direction of the wolf-man. He was sent flying back. Just to mock him, she took her cloak off and threw it at him. He howled in rage and pain as the fire from her burnt cloak burned his fur. He would never have skin again. Transformations like that were permanent. They would never be human again.

The wolf's companion, the leopard friend, tried to hit Skye. Skye smirked and aimed a kick to at his family jewels. Needless to say, he met the same fate the wolf-man did and was on the ground, writhing a little more than the wolf-man. Twisting in her captor's arms, Skye drove her heels into his legs. He howled in pain and his grip on her slackened, not by a lot but by just enough for her to get out and away. Skye pushed back, managing only to fall backwards and land on her back. She looked up, seeing a flash of bronze.

She seemed to have suddenly gone rigid, frozen in place as the punch flew into her, connecting with her jaw in a powerful collision that would have been clearly heard if the village was quiet enough. The crow-man punched her with brass knuckles that glowed with magic and yet she just stood there, taking each hit over and over and over again. Bile rose in Skye's throat. She had to try to fight back but his magic was keeping her in place as his metal knuckles shocked her again and again.

Skye didn't realize that she now had company. Zoro and Nami were now watching her as she struggled to fight back because they had rounded the corner to get to the palace with Vivi. The next few seconds went by in a blur as the two Straw Hat pirates stood there. Nami was gaping at the woman he had come to know over the few days they had known each other while millions of thoughts and emotions coursed through her. Zoro blinked in horror. He may have distrusted Skye, but really no one should put themselves through a beating like the one she was receiving. Her face was getting bruised up and she spat out blood after the last blow. A man with the shape of a leopard came out of nowhere and roundhouse kicked the mage in the chest. Nami watched in horror. She knew that Skye had the same strength as Luffy, Zoro or Sanji had and yet she was letting the monsters beat her into submission.

"No! What is she doing?" Nami groaned.

Skye went down, falling onto the dirt ground, that Zoro assumed had just about as much padding as a concrete floor. The wolf-man jumped on the chance to gain the upper hand. He had thrown himself on the woman, fists pounding as he straddled her waist. Skye was barely putting up a fight to get him off, and from the vantage point Nami and Zoro couldn't see if all the punches connected. Things were happening so fast. Skye was getting two punches to the face per second, and Nami was still trying to comprehend what she was seeing, to understand it. Skye was just as strong as the others were so it made no sense as to why she would just let herself get beaten into the ground. Skye was reaching out for something. Nami couldn't see what it was until she leaned over Zoro's back, since he was still carrying her. It was a book. Skye's hand was reaching desperately towards it, instead of fending off the men who were beating her. Zoro set the navigator down. He drew his sword, ready to fight for Skye.

"Skye, come on!" Nami shouted.

Nami could see the dark red color of blood. It covered almost half of Skye's face stemming from an open gash at the right brow where a ring from someone's hand had torn apart the skin. The mage only reacted by spitting blood onto the monster-man's face. Nami could not tell how deep it was, and head wounds were known to bleed heavily or so Chopper told her once before when Usopp had cracked his head open when they were on the ship, but she still worried. More blood dripped from her lip, and it dribbled off her chin onto the sand below her. Nami worried her lip. The leopard-man in the trio was trying to get in on the fight as well. Zoro sprung forward now. However, at that moment, Skye's hand touched the book at her side. There was a bright flash of light and the monsters were thrown back instantly. Zoro barely managed to keep his ground as well. There were skid marks in the sand where he had planted his feet but had been pushed back but he still managed to keep his stance, weapons drawn, ready to help if she had to.

"Skye!" Nami screamed, "Skye, what are you doing?"

Nobody heard her, she later found out. Her voice was too soft, even as she yelled at the top of her lungs. The roar from the people from the main square was too loud for her voice to be heard over. The chorus of gunshots and the melody of the dying were hard to overpower, at least with a single voice. Even Zoro, who was right besides her had a hard time making out what the navigator had yelled to the mage. This was a sign of how insane war could be. Skye had seen this countless times, fought too many times to remember, healed so many that her book's spine had become worn with use. This was the first war the Straw Hats had ever seen.

The crow-man tried to kick her but this time he was stopped in mid-air, thrown back. Skye stood in the center of the street with blood leaking from her mouth and splattering on the floor as she coughed. Nami stared in horror, not comprehending what she was seeing before her. The mage looked so hurt. Then Nami lost control of her emotions. Without thinking, she leaped forward. Zoro tried to grab her but Nami was going in for Skye so she ducked under his arms with relative ease, since he had his swords in his hands but couldn't put them away quickly enough to grab her.

The next thing Skye was aware of was that someone skidded out standing in front of her with their arms spread out, protecting her. Skye stiffened when she saw Nami standing over her. She was staring at Skye's attacker defiantly as she stood there, protecting Skye from her the wolf-man. The wolf had another rod of electricity in his hands. Her attacker's blade stopped, mere inches from Nami's neck, barely sparing the woman's life. Skye struggled to get back to her feet. Just as the man moved to attack the navigator for real, Skye jumped.

She was now in front of Nami, cradling the navigator's head close to her chin. The wolf stared at her as she glared at him, holding the young and highly surprised navigator close to her. She had thrown her hand up. Sand was thrown into the wolf-man's eyes and he yowled in pain. Skye then turned and saw that the crow-man was coming at them too. She cast another spell and she threw her magic at him. Ropes appeared around his ankles and he tripped. None of those monsters were going to harm a hair on Nami's head, not while there was a breath left in her body.

The wolf-man seemed rather surprised by this action, as if he had never seen someone willingly give their life for the life of another. He lowered his blade. Reluctantly, she let go of Nami but stood in front of him, protecting her from the three mages/monsters, the more dangerous threat of the three who had attacked her. Emerald eyes shaded by the deep red of blood looked up to the navigator in dawning realization. Zoro had now stepped forward with his blades drawn. This had gone on long enough in the swordsman's mind. He was going to end this because those creatures had attacked his crewmate and the other girl. Skye wasn't his favorite person in the world but she had proven her loyalty to Vivi when Crocodile attacked her in the Rain Base.

"N-Nami?"

"Yes, now move!"

She pulled insistently on the mage's shoulders, getting the other woman move slightly and then continuing to pull until the Skye was out of Zoro's way. Skye stood, swaying a bit on her feet. The dizziness from the loss of blood and the use of an enormous amount of magic was starting to get to her. She hadn't stopped using magic since they were at the Rain Base. She hadn't let herself rest, because they had no choice in the matter. She had to fight but even her reserves were becoming depleted and quickly. She wondered truly how much energy she had left before her magic started drawing from her very life energy.

"Nami," Skye questioned, "What are you doing here? It's not safe."

"Saving you apparently…" Nami dryly commented.

Skye stared at the navigator. Why was Nami trying to save her? Last she checked the Navigator didn't trust her as much as Sanji swooned over her. Zoro only wanted to use her on information, things he knew that she could give him – like the whereabouts of Hawkeye Mihawk. Skye didn't actually know where the man was but she did know a few of his favorite haunts and about when he liked to go. It was always a good idea for people like her to know when to avoid certain places, because she didn't want to be arrested or face Mihawk for that matter. She wondered if she didn't have a concussion or something of the sort. She had to have been imagining things.

"This is none of your bu-"

"I will personally tie you up and leave you on the marine's doorstep if you finish that sentence…" Nami growled, "We're leaving… Now."

"Nami…"

"Let's get out of here!"

Nami looked up. Zoro had been the one to shout to them. The swordsman was already slinging one of Skye's arms over his shoulder. Together the two Straw Hat pirates dragged the beaten woman away from the fight and towards the steps of the palace. Nami stared at her. She was such a good person, but she could really be stupid sometimes. She reached towards her with a trembling hand. Skye wasn't even aware of her touch but her eyes were wide open. She wasn't dead. Nami was positive she would know if she was dead.

"Come out, come out," the crow-man sang, "Come out and play!"

They had reached the steps by this time. Suddenly talons seized Skye from the two pirates, plucked her right out of their arms. They were knocked down by the wolf-man before they could do anything to help their injured comrade. Skye struggled in the crow-man's hold. He dropped her down the stairs. Skye fell, twisted and rolled with every step that she hit, cringing at the ache in her body. She could hear Zoro shouting swears at the crow-man for some strange reason or another. Skye didn't see why it was so terrifying that she fell.

She took out her spell book and cast the most powerful stunning spell she knew. The crow-man fell to the steps, writhing as he struggled for control of his own body against her spell. The wolf-man staggered back. Even the leopard-man who had claws, inches away from her throat, fell back – away from her because of the sheer amount of force that erupted from her body. The three mages tried to move but Skye had enough of it. She was going to use all of her magic in this now, she had already used so much before to get away from Robin, to get to Vivi, protecting Vivi, but she had enough for this one last spell.

She started to channel her magic as much as she could throughout her body and into the air around her, creating the perfect shield. Nothing short of a cannon ball at point blank range would be able to get through her magic at that point. A white glowing aura appeared around her. Her clothes started to whip around her as if pushed by a wind. Rubble and other bits of odds and ends began to float upward as she was completely concealed in the white aura. The three man-beasts attacked at once. A white wall appeared around her and they could still see her glowing silhouette in the wall. Her previous stunning spell had been released and all three dove at her at once. Suddenly, the wolf-man collapsed before he touched the wall. His companions threw themselves at it, only to be rebounded. The glowing slowly stopped as Skye stepped towards then, lower and lower on the steps with a neutral look on her face. The crow-man had been thrown down the steps. The leopard-man had been thrown up the steps.

"So, what made you work for Crocodile?" Skye questioned.

"Your capture," the wolf-man grunted, "If we capture you, we'll be forgiven and go Home."

"You'll have your reward for finding her," a voice threatened, "And don't think of running off without collecting."

Skye looked up. Zoro stood across the way. The men quivered as Zoro walked towards them with two of his blades drawn. Unlike Skye, Zoro could kill, the former mages knew that. Zoro had killed in the past – without remorse. Skye had shown kindness by fighting defensively, but they weren't sure where her magic ended. She had already temporarily paralyzed them. They couldn't fight back, even if they wanted to. Skye had the upper hand now. They had underestimated her magic and the men feared it would be the death of them, especially since she had the threatening swordsman at her side now.

"Say the word, Skye," Zoro ordered.

"I… Zoro…"

She was hit by a wave of dizziness. She staggered, losing her footing. She reached towards him and fell backwards, down the stairs, before she could see him move. He had apparently thought the other mages had done something against her – a spell or a curse – something to cause her harm to make her falter like that. But even before she could hit the ground, his arms were around her, cradling her to his chest like a child. She looked up weakly. Zoro looked at her fearfully, though she had no idea why. The other mages dropped to the ground as Zoro set down his swords.

"What did they do to you?" Nami demanded.

She limped over to them, kneeling besides Skye to check on her, hoping that she would be able to survive until she got medical help. If not, they would have to try to find Chopper and interrupt whatever battle he could be in and that could be dangerous for everyone involved, especially Skye with her already declining health because of her injuries. The mage smiled weakly as Zoro eased her back gently before letting her down. She just lay against the steps as her entire body ached. Nami put a hand on Skye's shoulders, noticing how the mage barely noticed anything. Her body ached painfully and she let out a shuddering sigh.

"Used too much magic…" Skye grunted, "It could've been bad…"

"Well, we don't have to worry about them anymore," Zoro said.

Skye looked at them. Blood lined the steps and lingered in the air like a pungent odor that refused to be gone. She cringed and looked away. The sight of blood always made her very uneasy. The doctor in her screamed in agony because she knew she could have prevented this if only she had stood firmer longer. She could have interrogated them a bit more too, but what was done was done. He wouldn't have thought that the mages did something to her. Zoro had killed them in cold blood because he thought they harmed her. They were dead because of her own weakness. Guilt stung her stomach and made her insides churn in discomfort.

"Skye, I found these…"

Skye looked over at Nami wearily. All she wanted to do was sleep at that moment and she could probably sleep for a good few days if undisturbed. The red head was holding three books in her hand. They were the books of the mages that Zoro killed. By the law of her land, she was to burn them, but first, she wanted to see how far in the dark magics they dabbled. She wanted to see the extent of how tainted their souls were before they decided to use the forbidden human transformation arts on themselves. It was almost as bad as if they used it on someone else – a regular non-magical human. Both acts were equally unforgivable.

"I didn't know if one of these were yours…" Nami said.

"No," Skye said, "But as the victor I get their books…"

Nami handed her the new spell books. Skye took a deep breath, trying to ignore the way her ribcage ached. Skye took the books and shrunk them, wincing at the use of magic before she stored them with her other book in her cloak pockets. She even pat her short sword and gun, both were there. She hadn't lost anything this time. Good. She would be upset if her gun was stolen. Blue had specifically picked the gun out for her and if she lost her sword, she would be angry because all she had were rubber bullets, but the sword was easily replaceable. If she lost it, she lost it, she would just be in a bad mood, that was all.

"What's wrong with you?" Zoro questioned.

"Just sore… I think I might just take a nap…"

"Right here?" Nami demanded.

"Can't move an inch…" Skye muttered, "Why not?"

A shadow fell over Skye's face. She looked up, finding Orion standing over her, despite the horrified look on Nami's face and Zoro's hand on his blade. Skye just smiled up at her friend. He was wearing his black mask again but she always knew where Orion was. It was why he could never surprise her. However, Zoro and Nami didn't even see him coming. Orion moved quickly for a larger man. Made Skye wonder if he ate a Devil Fruit, but when she did physicals, she couldn't find traces of one. So she just assumed it was because of his strength. He was one of the strongest of their crew after all and he had earned that position.

"Hey Orion…" Skye breathed.

"You used too much magic again," Orion said.

Skye shrugged the best she could from lying on the steps. It wasn't really all that comfortable. She would have to try to move soon and her body cringed at the prospect, not looking forward to it. She was tired. She wanted to sleep. Using too much magic made her crabby. Blue made fun of her, teasing her lightly when she used a good bit of magic, but he also made sure she got the breaks that she needed in order to rest up properly. None of his crew went without anything, even if it were small wants or desires to the absolutely necessary needs. They always had enough food, water, and supplies to just freely give supplies to others who needed help, though Skye had no idea his motive behind that. He was a good captain. Skye was glad that she chose to serve him over any other captain, though he learned from Whitebeard.

"Did Blue send new orders?" she asked.

"Yes."

Orion pulled a scroll out of his pocket. It had Blue's handwriting on the outside. Skye's name was written in the finest cursive that the two Blue Masquerade pirates had seen in their entire lives. They knew little about Blue's past before Skye met him but this handwriting hinted at a noble background though Blue would never tell them if they were right. He handed it to Skye. She smiled weakly as she took the scroll from him. She pocketed it without even reading it. She could read it later. She knew that Zoro and Nami would be interested but if she had important orders from Blue and he gave directions or methods to get somewhere, then she couldn't let them follow. She had to do what was best for her crew first, whether or not she had any attachments to Luffy's crew.

"I've left a second boat for you in the harbor."

"Thanks Orion… My other boat got hit by a cannon ball, can you believe it?"

"You never manage to keep a stolen boat long," Orion said.

"It's not my fault. It just… ends up getting destroyed…"

Orion just nodded. He was a man of few words. He always had been. He always would be. He was very intimidating because of his massive size, how he always wore a glare on his face and the way he moved about going unnoticed until the very last second but he was a good man, with a good heart. He had a soft spot for children, women and the elderly. He had taken Ryou and Jun under his wing when they came onboard as an adoptive father of sorts. They looked up to him and often made a game of trying to make him smile. It seldom worked, but at least they tried. It proved they cared for their father figure as much as he cared for them.

"I will be taking my leave now."

"Another mission away?" Skye questioned.

Orion grunted and then started to walk away, leaving Skye with the Straw Hat crew. There was a gust of wind that blew up sand that shrouded Orion from view. He was gone just like that. Zoro glowered at her crewmate's retreating figure. Then he gathered Skye into his arms, despite the fact he was bleeding. Her clothes became stained with his blood and it got all over her. She gasped, clinging to him instantly, not expecting to be off the ground. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she was lifted off the ground.

"Zoro! No! You'll kill yourself!" Nami cried.

"Put me down!" Skye ordered.

"That bastard knew you were hurt and he didn't do a damned thing…" Zoro growled.

Skye stared at Zoro with wide eyes. She had always fought on her own, always for herself and for Blue. She watched his back, he watched hers and they both watched over the crew, but the crew didn't return the gesture, aside from the younger crewmates, who they were trying to convince out of piracy. Ryou cried when he squished ants and Jun sobbed over every fish they caught to eat. It was odd for her to have someone so keen on her survive, other than Blue. She wasn't sure what to make of Luffy's crew but said nothing as he carried her. Their blood mixed but she said nothing because he was exerting himself for her.


	15. Chapter XIV: Leaving Alabasta

**Yeah, sorry about not updating sooner... School just eats away at my time. Good news is, Sabo's in the next chapter!**

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><p>Zoro had to set her down. Apparently there was more fighting to do. Skye agreed. She sent him off, assuring him that she would be fine. She was a mage for crying out loud and she had her gun, just in case anything happened. She also had her sword and he knew this. This seemed to ease his conscious so he and Nami ran off once again. Skye just lay in the shelter of an abandoned house. However, she slipped in and out of conscious, over usage of magic being too much of a strain for her body to bear. She couldn't move on her own. Her energy was gone. She recalled fighting, gunpowder, and shouting and then soft hands were wrapped around her, lifting her up and soothing her. Who lifted her up? Who had found her?<p>

Why were they sorry?

What was going on?

Red?

She blacked out.

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><p>It pained him to see the bluish yellow bruise marring the mage's cheek. How many times had her enemies hit her? Pushed her down the stairs? Threw punches at her? Threw kicks at her? Luffy didn't know the count, but he feared the number. Luffy spent a minute looking at Skye. A weight dropped in his stomach at the sight of Skye's hands. They were scratched and crusted with dried blood. The Straw Hat captain gently picked up the hand to inspect it.<p>

He could see small shards of glass embedded in the flesh. His stomach churned. Her captain would be furious if he ever found out how hurt she had gotten because of Luffy's carelessness. He had fought so hard for Vivi he forgot to take care of the others. He didn't know that Skye couldn't cause physical harm to someone. He didn't know that was what it meant to be a white mage. He just thought she could do magic.

"I am sorry."

Luffy watched as Chopper went to the cabinets and pulled out some cotton, a small brown bottle and small sterilized tweezers. He went to a different cabinet and looked for a small basin for water, a soft cotton cloth and bandages. He may not have been a doctor, but he and Ace knew how to patch minor wounds. They had to because when they were little kids they got hurt all the time. However, Luffy shook the memories away as he took the cloth from Chopper. The small reindeer watched as Luffy dipped the cloth in the warm water and began washing Skye's hands. He made sure not to stretch the woman's injured hands out too much. She had already been put through more pain than was ever necessary.

After he was done washing away the dirt and blood, he motioned for Chopper to step up. The reindeer nodded silently, wondering what had gotten into the captain of his ship. He was solemn and silent after he realized the mage had not woken before he had and that she was seriously hurt. Somehow, Zoro had set her down after he and Nami reunited, she got moved and no one found her for two and a half days. She could have died.

He carefully pulled out all the glass shards with the tweezers, feeling slightly uncomfortable with his captain watching him as silently as he was. He wet the cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and applied it to the injured palms and knuckles. As soon as the chemical touched the broken flesh it began hissing and foaming angrily at the reindeer. Luffy cringed when Skye whimpered softly and tried to pull her hand away. Chopper held fast, almost relentless.

When it had been properly cleaned, Chopper bandaged the hand. For the next hour, Luffy just silently watched as Chopper bandaged Skye's stomach, her chest, though Luffy had politely turned away for this, her head and her neck. She actually thrashed in a half conscious stupor when he tried to take her shirt off and her magic lashed out, but it only forced them back. She mouthed the word 'no' over and over again until they just decided that if she was already conscious enough to fight back, she could wrap her own back injuries.

Just as Chopper was starting to walk out the door a dainty hand grabbed his hoof. Chopper and Luffy tensed. Her eyes fluttered open. A weak smile came to Skye's face as she looked at the doctor through half-lidded eyes. She was finally awake. Or was it that she had been awake the entire time, simply waiting for treatment before she let herself sleep and recover the energy that she needed desperately?

"Thank you…"

Luffy wanted to scream.

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><p>Skye was uncomfortable as the others left the room, leaving her with Sanji after she woke up. Luffy went to eat and the others followed the scent of the food. She tried to get up as well, but clearly lacked the energy to do so. It was not that she didn't like Sanji. He was always kind to women and always swooned over them. Skye didn't show it of course, but that was what bothered and annoyed her in him. In her point of view he only saw her as a woman. In his eyes, she was something fragile, something that wasn't equal. She was used to that kind of behavior, of course, but it didn't mean she liked it. Men like him were usually all the same.<p>

They thought that women were to be seen but not heard and only good for one thing. Blue had done a marvelous job making sure she was well protected from those sorts of men, normally being tailed by Orion or Domino for safety measures. For this Skye was, in a way, always been grateful. She didn't like to be heard that much anyway. She knew Sanji wouldn't do anything to harm her but deep inside she still had suspicion. Every time he turned his attention to her she tensed. After he had managed to ask her a couple of times what was wrong she had learned to hide her tension even better.

"Do you want me to help you to the dining room?" Sanji questioned.

"That's kind of you, Sanji," she said, "But I can manage on my own."

Skye smiled at him sweetly, though it was slightly tense. He noticed this, even as she struggled to move to get up and out of bed but her body let her know of the agony it felt from her near over usage of magic. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to keep from wincing, but it seemed that Sanji noticed her pain. Before she could do anything, Skye was scooped up out of bed. She gasped. Her arms went around Sanji's neck as he lifted her, as if she weighed no more than a sack of flour. She liked her feet firmly planted on the ground, where they should be.

"Put me down!" Skye cried.

"I'm just taking you to the dining room," Sanji said, "You need to eat, Skye, and you're too weak to do it on your own."

The weakened mage tried to lash out but the cook held her fast, making sure she could do nothing more than cling to him because of how fast he moved, but careful enough not to jostle her, as if she were a precious cargo. She thought he was just kind to women because he was a gentleman, while a touch of a flirt. But in the time she knew him, he was already reaching the levels of womanizing. She hated womanizers.

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><p>Skye retreated to the gardens after escaping Chopper. The doctor worried too much about her. He loved to mother hen his crew and mommy them back to health but she knew when to step back and let nature take its effect and let the patient heal on their own. She was a doctor herself. She knew her limits. Somehow she stumbled across Zoro, who had been drinking in the gardens, avoiding the good doctor, the same as she had been. They started a small conversation as they drank. She drank water. He drank sake.<p>

"Why did you join him?" Skye asked.

Zoro looked up from his sake. He grunted. She sighed to herself. She doubted anyone on Luffy's crew knew exactly how terrible things were after they crossed Reverse Mountain. No one stabbed them in the back the way she had been – quite literally in all senses of the word, but they had been stabbed in the back, she could tell by the way they were so wary of her when she first came across them. However, they had all seen pain in their lives. She wanted to understand the crew better, to know how they thought or how they felt.

"I'm trying to accomplish my own goals," Zoro grunted, "The rest of the crew is like me too. Our true objectives are different from his."

"Is that so?" Skye asked, "Then why stay? Why even join?"

Zoro shrugged. However, he watched her, not minding her company in the least. He was surprised by Skye's kindness. He knew that the others had at first been afraid of the female pirate upon finding out that they had a princess on board, even more so when they found out that she was not truly who she had claimed to be when they first met her. But as time went on, Skye revealed a loyal and intelligent personality, with liberal splashes of wicked mischievousness thrown in. She was different from what he had expected when they had crossed Reverse Mountain. He was expecting someone a little more blood thirsty than the mage who laughed with his captain and shared navigation stories with Nami, or medicines with Chopper, or stories with Usopp, or chatter with the pervy cook.

"Since we've been together so long, another purpose has started to emerge," Zoro said.

"What's that?" Skye asked.

"Why did you join Blue's crew?" Zoro questioned.

Skye frowned. He had changed the subject on her. It seemed he still didn't trust her no matter what. She had expected as much. Out of all of the members in the crew, Zoro was the one who worried the most. He watched from afar and protected the crew whether they realized it or not. And her crew mocked her for being over protective. He must have had a hard time trusting people but he trusted his crew, this much she knew otherwise he wouldn't have decided to protect them from possible dangers – also known as her. She was a part of another crew. One day, they might have to fight one another. This meant they were enemies.

"He… saved my life…" Skye admitted, "He was so good to me after we were rescued. I found out that he… Well, he had a dream that he wasn't _physically_ able to accomplish on his own anymore."

Zoro looked at her, sincerely interested in what she had to say on the matter. She could still see it, as clear as day – the miserable and dejected expression on Blue's face when he was telling her that he wouldn't ever be able to accomplish his dreams. It broke her heart. She always did have a bleeding heart so she would do whatever was in her power to help him and she did. She felt that anyone else would have done the same thing. She had sworn her life into helping him accomplish his dream. Blue was often upset because she had no other goal in life than to accomplish his dream, but she was his tool, his to use until she broke and he no longer saw fit to keep her.

"He… The look on his face as he told me that he was giving up," Skye whispered, "It was torture. I couldn't let him suffer like that. I told him I would accomplish his dream for him."

Skye laughed weakly as she thought about how useless she was. She had one purpose – accomplishing his dreams. What happened when she did that? She was useless. That was what happened. He would throw her aside. She had no home to go to, no friends aside from him, no family left to console her, he was her everything – her master. She had gone into slavery the day she was branded, but one chosen not one forced. The irony of it was, she wouldn't try to fight back. She wanted to be his servant.

"You must think I'm an idiot for trying to help him. But I just had to do it."

"No," Zoro said, "I… understand."

Skye looked up in confusion. There was a saddened expression on Zoro's face. She didn't understand where that emotion came from. She also wasn't going to ask. He hadn't pressed about Blue, so she wouldn't press about his past, though it didn't mean she didn't wonder what had happened, in his past, to make him understand exactly how she felt on the matter. She could have forced him to tell her, using magic of course, but she decided it wasn't worth it. Some secrets were better left alone. Everyone was entitled to them as well. Even she had a few skeletons in the closet that her captain didn't even know about.

"I know what you mean," Zoro continued, "So you don't have to explain anymore."

* * *

><p>"Is there anything I can give you before you go on your way?" Vivi asked.<p>

"I… As much as I would hate to ask, if you could spare some supplies," Skye said, "That's all I ask. Crocodile's secret was enough payment for me. My Captain will be happy."

She had already obtained new clothes. She wore an emerald green mini top hat, a white ruffled blouse with a blue bow tie – in honor of her captain – and matching – to the hat at least – emerald green tailcoat over it, black high waist pants, and black boots, with a single inch heel. Her sword was strapped to her side, as was her gun. She needed to leave soon. Marines were going to catch wind of what happened and they would kill one another to catch her, let alone whoever beat the tar and feathers out of Crocodile. She had told Zoro as much and he just snorted and went to sleep for the rest of the day. At least she warned them.

"Of course! Supplies are the least we could provide you with! I mean, your boat was smashed…"

"I have alternate means of transportation," Skye soothed, "So don't waste worry over me."

Within the hour supplies had been given to Skye. She would head off to the boat that Orion had left her with before heading off back to their main ship. She noticed a twelve gallon container of sake. She considered leaving it but she was also heading to Whitebeard's ship. It would be nice to let the man indulge in some finer sakes. Kings always did have good taste. So she shrank her supplies and bowed to the princess and her father. They bowed in return. She then started to head towards the entrance. She found Luffy, waiting for her.

"Luffy…"

Skye swallowed thickly. This could be the last time she saw him for a long time. She pulled him into a quick hug. He stood there, surprised by the sudden action. He smiled against her neck. The kernel of hope exploded into something warm and sharply painful, growing so fast that the mage wasn't sure she wanted to bask in it or turn away in fear. Shouting might have gotten the Straw Hat captain to stay, or at least let her look after him. Skye actually considered crying as the answer, begging him not to go, but she had sworn to stop herself from trying to stop him. He was off to search for One Piece. He wouldn't get far if she coddled him.

But a part of her wanted to coddle him, to keep him safe and protect him. That part of her had, in a magnificent display of subtlety that Skye hadn't known she was capable of, become attached, emotionally to Luffy, younger brother of Ace. It was the part that had also gone to Blue's rescue those years ago and the same part of her that had also become aware of all the reasons Whitebeard deserved the nickname 'Pops' and millions of other caring quirks. But for now, she just held Luffy close, trying to remember that there were good pirates on the seas who had noble intentions, and pure hearts.

"Always believe in yourself," Skye told him, "Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."

Luffy smiled against her neck. She laughed and slowly willed herself away from him. She moved away from him but bowed her head to show her thanks. He had touched her back, somewhere she refused to let anyone touch, not even Blue or Ace. She refused hugs, unless she accepted them tensely, or pats on the backs or other forms of contact near that area. She even refused to allow anyone else to treat her when she received wounds around her stomach or back. Evading Chopper had been difficult, but somehow she had managed to keep away and heal her own wounds without the doctor's help. It seemed that Zoro noticed her plight and whenever she was trying to escape, he would show up around the corner and Chopper would then scold him for being out of bed while Skye escaped.

"If you need anything, come find me," Luffy said.

She took his hand in hers. She placed a glass marble in the palm of his hand. It was a strange thing, silver in color but when held up to the light a complete spectrum of colors would make the room glow and shimmer. Luffy stared at it in amazement. It was pure magic. It was her magic that was trapped in a small sphere. If he was in danger, it would implode and use what magic she had forced into such a small amount of space to cast spells to protect him, shield him and fight to defend him from whatever danger there was. If there was no danger, then it would just tug on Skye and make her appear before him.

"If you need anything Luffy, just hold this up to a light, to the sun, to a candle, anything… I'll know and I'll come to find you," Skye said, "Just don't lose it, okay?"

Luffy looked down at the marble. Then he smiled as he rolled it around in the palm of his hand. He hadn't expected something like that from Skye. He had just expected a pat on the head and mysterious magic making her disappear, but it seemed she didn't like using magic as much as he thought. She didn't even do one trick for him but perhaps this stone of hers would make up for the lack of magic tricks. Ace didn't seem to like it when Skye used magic around him either, but Luffy didn't understand. There was nothing wrong with being able to use magic. It was like being able to use a Devil Fruit.

"Okay!" he said, "It's magic, right?"

"That's right… Take care of yourself."

She walked away from the straw hat pirate, wondering when it was she would see him again. She had to fight the urge to tell him who her captain really was but again it wasn't her secret to tell. If Blue found out he would never trust him again. There was nothing more painful in the world than knowing you weren't needed. She could feel Luffy watching her, as did his crewmates, but they were in the balcony above him. She hadn't been expecting a word from them as she left. They really didn't care for her too much, not that she saw.

"Bye Skye!"

She froze. She slowly turned around to see Chopper and Usopp waving to her. Nami waved as well. Zoro just grunted and nodded in her direction. Sanji was crying because she was leaving, dramatic tears rolling down his face. Luffy suddenly appeared after using his devil fruit powers and landed on his crewmates but jumped up and waved at her, even as Usopp and Sanji started hitting him for doing it. So they cared after all. If Skye felt any sense of satisfaction, it was difficult to discern. She remained perfectly stone-faced. She smiled slowly.

"I'll see you again!" she assured them, "I promise!"


	16. Chapter XV: Reunited With the Crew

Skye had found her crew right outside Alabasta, waiting in the spot where they were to meet Dragon – the Revolutionary. Skye was excited to see everyone once again. Traveling on her own was nice, but traveling with her own crew was even better. She may not have gotten along with everyone like Luffy's crew, but at least she felt like she belonged. She had climbed aboard. The moment she was on deck she received hugs from the younger, affectionate crewmates, meaning Amber, Ryou and Jun. Orion pat her on the head. Domino scoffed. He probably hadn't wanted her to survive. Matthew flashed a bright smile.

"The battle was terrible," Skye said, "So many lives were lost."

"I can't stand the fire and gunpowder," Amber said, "Those dopey guys have absolutely no manners."

Amber 'Trace' James sat next to her captain as she listened in on the information Skye had gathered. Apparently, there was good intelligence to be gathered from what Skye had learned. Amber was nicknamed Trace because she could find anyone, anywhere. She was leading up the search for Blackbeard under Sabo's request. Skye had found her one day, about to be captured by marines for petty theft. She was starving, broken and orphaned. Skye, Orion and Sabo took her in. She had been with their crew ever since. She was the youngest female of the crew at only fourteen. But being the fourth one to join gave her some seniority too. She never abused the power, often taking orders from older crewmembers despite her position.

"My own kind attacked me today," Skye said.

"Who? The Council?" Sabo questioned.

He worried for her, naturally. He always did everything in his power to make sure she stayed safe, though she was the first one to jump in if her crewmates were in trouble. They were all rapscallions and rogues. If they did not have one another, then they had nothing. She told him the Council was looking for her. Her bounty was bound to jump again if the World Government found about who she was or what she had done. But first they would have to link Skye to Amelia and they had yet to do that. She had only been saved because the World Nobles hadn't bothered to remember her name when they decided to make her a slave. She was just a slave to them.

"No, some hack wizards who turned themselves into monsters for Crocodile."

Sabo shook his head in shame for the wizards, who could no longer express it for themselves. It might have been sad. Skye might have expressed pity. They were scum – criminals. However, that was the pot calling the kettle black. She was a criminal too. She couldn't balance her evils against their evils. What she had done was as equally unforgivable. She was no better than they were. And that thought made her stomach churn. She was on the same path as the wizards. She could feel their books in her bag and it terrified her to know that she now had the ability to do that to people. She could change them forever if she wanted to.

"Those wizards are going to regret doing that," Sabo said, "They'll never change back into humans."

"If Zoro hadn't killed them, they wouldn't have recalled they ever _were_ human," Skye corrected.

A hand was placed on her head. Skye looked up. Orion was looking down at her. She smiled at the thirty nine year old man. Orion was a tall man, standing at six feet, with short black hair with faint grey highlights and sharply styled sideburns. He wore an embroidered golden and black vest over a high-collared shirt and tight black leather trousers with leather shin pads, and steel, open-backed sandals on his feet. Around his waist sat two crossed, gold-buckled belts with guns in either strap on which he had two pouches attached to either side for his bullets and gunpowder. He had a collection of brightly colored rings and bracelets on his left hand. He also had a set of earrings in both ears.

"Are you hurt?" Orion asked.

"No, the Straw Hat crew took care of me," Skye said.

"S-Straw Hat?" Sabo stammered.

Skye nodded. She smiled as she thought about the kind crew that she had traveled with over the last week or so. They were so innocent and naïve but at the same time, they weren't. They were aged and weathered by hardships she didn't even know. She didn't ask. It wasn't her place to pry into their pasts. Luffy had questioned about hers but after he saw that it had deeply upset her, he had never pressed her about it again. He avoided the topic and even made topic changes for her. It was like he was protecting her in a way and it touched her more than she had dare to say aloud – to speak, less it make her past real once more.

"Luffy is their captain. His first mate is Roronoa Zoro. His navigator's name is Nami. His sharp shooter is Usopp, son of Yassopp. Their cook's name is Sanji. Their doctor's name is Tony Tony Chopper," Skye informed everyone.

Sabo had put a hand over his heart at this point. It was a shock to him to hear about Luffy so soon. He knew that Luffy had just left home recently. He had expected that his youngest brother wouldn't dare come that far because of being a coward. However, Skye saw nothing of the younger 'cowardly' brother that Sabo had explained. Luffy was brave. He was daring. He was reckless and a bit tactless, but he had a good heart. He looked out for others, watching out for them. It may seem like he might not get things, but he did.

"Reports on Luffy's Gum Gum abilities are true. Chopper has also eaten the Human Human fruit. The good doctor has created a medicine to allow 7 points of transformation. He can talk."

"Enough," Sabo ordered.

"Sabo?"

Sabo grabbed her arm almost harshly. Orion's eyes widened at the slightly violent gesture against her because he had never seen his captain act cruelly towards a woman. Women were to be treated with respect or so the captain preached. But Skye and Sabo were off, below deck before he could even question what he had seen with his own eyes. Sabo led her under the deck and into his cabins so he could talk to her in private, in his quarters, where none of the crew was allowed to go save Skye herself. Before Skye could question what was going on, she was pinned against the wall. She yelped in pain as her head crashed against the wall.

"Sabo!"

The look on his face silenced her instantly. Even with unseeing eyes he could still seem to make them bore into her very being. She shivered in slight fear of the man towering over her. Even with her magic, she knew that he physically overpowered her in every aspect. She wouldn't be able to run. He could beat her if he wanted to. Though she knew he wouldn't. He valued her as a crewmate. She was a good tool, a good dog, dutifully following orders despite how she may have felt about them. He had to have known that because he gave her difficult orders sometimes, knowing that she would agree with a soft murmur.

"Skye, how is he? Is he happy? Was he hurt? Does he know about-?"

"Relax," Skye soothed, "Luffy's fine. He's the happiest man I've ever met, albeit a bit slow. Ace said he hadn't changed a bit. He doesn't know about you. He was hurt in battle but he won against Crocodile."

Sabo stepped back. His hands ran over the places he had squeezed, as if he were apologizing in advance for the bruises she would have because of his grip. She could easily use her magical balms to make the marks vanish but she never did, not when the wounds came from her crewmates. She left the marks be. Was it to remind them of the pain they caused her? Was it to punish them with guilt for knowing that they had harmed her? Sabo didn't know. Something deep inside him didn't want to know. He sat down in a chair that Skye spelled closer.

"S-Skye… I'm… I…"

"Do you want to see him?"

Panic crossed his face now at the very thought of seeing his brother, though Sabo wouldn't be seeing a thing. Skye had begged to heal his eyes. He knew what large healing jobs did to her. She had pulled a man out of a coma once and it had left her bedridden for a month. He had feared that she would slip into a coma so he stayed by her side and freaked out when she didn't speak to him because he feared she had been lost to her own magic. She had to continually reassure him and even then he didn't let her rest as well as she needed to until he was certain she wasn't going to die like countless of others in the slave cells. He once had a man chained to him who died and he remained chained to him until the guards got sick of the smell.

"No! He can't see me! Not like this!"

Skye felt anger flare up inside her. She had worked hard to keep Luffy alive while they were crossing the desert. She probably doted on him a bit too much but she found him cutely endearing, like a younger sibling she had always wished to have. She had worked even harder to keep Ace alive. Who knew the hot headed brother would need more rescuing? It was often because of his narcolepsy where he would fall asleep in the most dangerous situation possible. She had thrown her life away so he could find the One Piece, sail the world, reunite with his brothers, and write his book. She would have to reason with him. She just wanted to help him accomplish his dreams. Was that really so hard for him to realize?

"He and Ace think you're dead!" she snapped, "Captain, I know it's none of my business but-"

"You're right… It is none of your business… Just do as I order you. Protect him."

She stared at him for a moment, hurt by his curt manner. He had been distant with her as of late. She was beginning to feel that he was growing fed up with her. Did she not do something to please him? Was it that he truly wanted Orion to be his first mate? She was just given the position because she was the first on the crew, not the strongest. Sadness seeped into her features though Sabo would never see it. She knelt down, one knee on the floor, bowing low to her Captain, her hand over her heart. Her head bowed as well. Her hair created a veil to cover her face though it was not needed. She was trying to pretend that this didn't hurt her. She believed she could mask it well enough.

"As you wish…" she said softly.

"You are excused for the night…" Sabo said.

Skye got back to her feet. She would have to come back later. He had to have tea precisely before he went to bed and could no longer sleep through the night without her special blend for sleeping dreamlessly. She walked outside, only after quietly closing the door behind her. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to smile again, but even that was rare for him to do anymore. It hurt because he had been so happy when they first started out as pirates. It just seemed that whenever she brought back news of Ace, and now Luffy, he closed her off. He would be happy and smiling again tomorrow, but she wanted him to truly be happy.

She heavily sighed and gazed up at the sky. It looked like a black quilt now, sown with diamonds and a shiny white pearl, which wrapped around the land and sent its people to slumber. The shine from that pearl above casted its ivory glow onto the waters of the ocean below. The world looked so different now; it looked so much more mysterious, slightly foreign and uninviting, yet… It reminded her of that night that Marco pulled her from the water. Did she wish that she hadn't stolen marine's whistle? No. Life was to be valued. She did not regret that. Then was it her promise to Sabo that made her ache so much? No. It was his pigheadedness that she often endeared.

"Magical?"

She didn't have to turn her head to know it was Matthew. She still stood at the railing, keeping her eyes focused on the sky ahead of her. She knew her crewmates like the back of her hand. If she didn't, she would be a terrible first mate. But even that thought she doubted. Sabo would probably be better off without her. So she swore that as soon as she got him together with his brothers, she would leave, let him be. She would turn herself over to the marines and accept her punishment. It's what Gol D. Roger did – the turning himself over to the marines part. If she didn't have aspirations left then what did she have? She couldn't go to Whitebeard's crew. They would get angry with Sabo, as would Whitebeard. Besides, the old man wasn't going to be around forever.

"I heard what the Captain said…"

"Eavesdropping?" Skye questioned.

"Not when you have magic ears like I do…"

Ah, that was right, the former blacksmith had ears that could hear further than other humans could. He had been blessed because he had freed a rabbit from a trap one day, so the rabbit returned the favor for his life and gave him ears that could hear anything, so he could tell if he should ever be in danger as well, though it did make taking Matthew to crowded places gave him a massive migraine that Skye had to give him a tonic for. It was interesting to know that someone else had a special ability like she did. However, everyone in Blue's crew did. Matthew had special ears. Skye had magic. Amber could track anyone. Orion could hide in the shadows. The list went on. Skye sighed to herself.

"Matthew, I just want him to truly be happy… He misses them," she said softly.

Matthew ran a hand through his hair. He had been forced to leave his home or get killed by the marines when first met with the crew. Skye had rescued him, offered him safe passage to the next island but then when it came time to go, he found that he couldn't. He had grown far too attached to the crew to do that. He had nearly begged to become a member of the crew, but Sabo and Skye accepted him quickly with open arms. He had wept that day, not a day since. He became a member of the crew, making weapons and using his special ability – his charmed ears – for them. He worked as hard as he could to make the captain proud and to make his first mate happy. He wanted Skye to be happy but she wasn't happy unless she was making Sabo happy.

"I know," Matthew said, "That's why some trickery is needed… If we follow Luffy and his gang then we're bound to accidentally meet them…"

"It's not that simple…" Skye countered, "Have you ever seen Blue off the ship without me or Orion by his side?"

"A-Ah, now that you mention it…"

Skye shook her head. Sabo never went anywhere without someone nearby. She supposed it was because of all the time he spent alone as a slave. He wanted to have someone nearby. She even took to sleeping on a cot in his room because he would scream in the night because of nightmares. The first few months for him were hard. He would struggle to even try to interact with others and try to function like a normal person should. Even then he still didn't like people touching him. He still had the airs of a royal. He would sometimes even just shut down completely, not talking about things that bothered him or upset him. He was frustrating for Skye to say the least. Sometimes she just wanted to beat his head in.

"He trusts me… I can't betray him like that but I do want to reunite them… But I'm worried. Ace is going after Blackbeard…"

"Blackbeard?"

"Also known as Teach…"

This was the first time she had gotten his name right. She never trusted him from the start. Her magic could detect people with foul intentions and his were the worst. She had instantly shied away from him to the surprise of Whitebeard's crew, who tried to convince her that he was a good man, nice and a loyal crewmate. Teach sure showed them how loyal he was by stabbing Thatch in the back. She could just imagine the horror and the betrayal the crew felt because of such an act. She had already felt some of it and she would have to tell Sabo once he calmed down about the whole Luffy thing. He would be devastated. Thatch taught him how to fight again, as did Marco but Thatch did most of the work after Skye trained him to use Haki.

"Oh! That pirate from Whitebeard's crew that you don't like!"

"Right…"

* * *

><p>"<em>Sabo."<em>

"_Yes Skye?"_

"_We need to train you," she said._

_Sabo frowned. He looked in her general direction. He still had some problems detecting her whenever she came up to him. It was slightly frustrating for him to not be able to hear her coming towards him or at least notice her. She was quiet, a lot different from the men around them who lumbered about. He could tell their footsteps apart but hers were always as quiet as a church mouse. He could get surprised by her more often than not and he often had violent reactions when she would gently touch him because he expected pain with every touch. Though, she was always patient and gentle with him regardless of how he acted. _

"_You need to learn to fight again," she said, "I know you can."_

_She took his hands in hers, tracing calluses across the palms of his hands. His fingers tingled as she did so. He could feel her magic running across his hands. But then she took her hands away from him just as quickly. Feeling the cold get to his hand, he looked down at it only to suddenly feel over whelming sadness. He could not see her hand. However he knew her hand wasn't interlocked with his, keeping it warm. Squeezing his hand into a fist, he tried to recreate that feeling or at least retain the warmth of her magic. He wasn't surprised when it didn't work. Though, if Skye saw what he did, she made no note of it._

"_I'm not going to be here for you at all times, so I need to teach you to see since you won't let me heal your eyes."_

_He ducked his head from embarrassment. He just didn't want her to waste her energy, plus it was his own fault for becoming blind in the first place. The last thing he saw was the cannon being shot and then water. That was so many years ago. He had gotten used to not being able to see, but he would have to admit he was curious when she said she would need to teach him to see without healing him. How could she do that? Was this another magical thing? He wouldn't have her waste her energy on him when she herself was still trying to recover from their encounter with the Sea King and the World Nobles. _

"_How?"_

"_Well, I have magic, that is used in the sense of Haki."_

"_You use magic instead of Haki?" Sabo asked. _

"_I could maybe use Haki as well but our magical abilities interfere with it. There's only been one mage to use Haki and Magic together in over a thousand years."_

"_Who was that?"_

_Skye fell silent upon hearing the question. Now, she looked away from him, though he would never know. She grit her teeth together, trying to resist the urge to tell him to back off and that it was none of his business to know who the mage was, but she was the one who brought up the subject, so she would have to tell. He didn't realize he was broaching a subject Skye normally left alone. She hated talking about things like that. It hurt her and Sabo never realized that some of the things he said hurt her deeply. So she just explained what she could, dredging up bad memories for as few details as possible. She didn't like talking about her past. He knew this much for sure._

"_My… mother…" she whispered. _

"_She must be something amazing!" _

"_She was… She died a long time ago," Skye said._

"_Skye, I'm so-"_

_She put a hand on Sabo's shoulder, silently telling him that he was forgiven for bringing it up. Though, the guilt was eating away at him. He always seemed to put his foot in his mouth when he was talking to her. He could talk to the guys on Whitebeard's crew just fine, but when it came to Skye, he always said something wrong, hurting her. He didn't want to hurt her. She was his friend. He didn't want her to leave him like countless others did in his past. However, the first time, he left on his own accord and looked where that landed him. He was in the middle of the ocean with a woman who could have been a slave just like he had been forced to. Would she have even escaped if he wasn't there? Would he have died if she wasn't there?_

"_Stop apologizing," she ordered, "Now, Captain, let's set to work."_

_Soon, Sabo was sitting on the deck of his own ship, with his banner waving high above his head. Skye told him it was a skull with a black top hat, like his own and a blue rose in its mouth. It was oddly fitting because they were the Blue Masquerade pirates, despite the fact the Moby Dick. It was just slightly ironic that she was the one barking orders, though he decided to humor her. He would do whatever it took to learn to defend himself without someone else by his side, though the thought of being alone was just as equally terrifying as the eternal darkness his eyes cast on anything he looked upon. _

"_Now, relax your mind. Breathe deeply and focus on your surroundings around you," she ordered. _

_Sabo smirked to himself as he listened to her. She sounded like she had given lectures often. Perhaps she was a teacher in her home life? He would have to ask after they were done. He could see her spending hours in a library too. She had a librarian's voice too, stern, yet kind and gentle. He was the captain yet she was the one barking the orders. A suddenly blow to the head made the smirk vanished. It hurt. Skye had hurt him. His hands touched the offended area and he spun around, trying to figure out where she was, though it did little good. _

"_Ach! What was that for?" he demanded. _

"_You have to focus," Skye reminded him, "You must be aware of your surroundings, especially of enemies who have ill intent. Now, try again."_


	17. Chapter XVI: Sabo's Realization

**Sorry guys. Writer's block and grad parties don't go well together. I've been super busy with classes too... But summer is coming up! I'll be free soon!**

* * *

><p>Skye stood on the railing for a moment watching the horrified expressions of the crew onboard. She smiled. Then she jumped down. Instantly, blades were held to her throat by the crew, who had just noticed her. The tension was obvious around all of them. They would kill her before she took a step. This was why she preferred letting the crew know she was coming, but no, Dragon never told his crew who she was or when she was coming. He must have had a horrible sense of humor. She would rather not have to harm his crew in order to give him information that he paid for in the first place. It annoyed her to no end. But, she had to do as she was ordered as Amelia.<p>

"A warm welcome from my favorite Revolutionaries…" she muttered.

She let her magic flare up. Instantly, the men around her fell asleep, collapsing to the ground in heaps. The weapons they were holding floated for a moment, before sheathing themselves or putting themselves away in holsters. Those who hadn't fallen asleep backed away slowly, fearing that she had just killed their companions. It did look like it, but it was her own specialized version of magic that made it look like Haki. She looked up when a large shadow fell over her. She found herself staring at a man with bright purple hair, though he was dressed as a woman. Oh well, not her crew, she wouldn't say a word.

"Hello," she said, "I'm here on behalf of Damien Blue to speak to Dragon about the information he requested."

The man stared down at her for a moment. She just smiled sweetly, as if she had not just incapacitated some of Dragon's men without even moving. Ivankov had met her before. He had never seen her use that special ability of hers. He wondered if it was a Devil Fruit power that gave her the strength that she had. Skye wished her crew was with her, at least Blue. He made her feel much more comfortable. Having him nearby made her calm, even when she was the one doing all of the talking. But she was his to use and he had ordered that she go on her own, so she was there on the deck of the ship on her own.

"I don't know a Damien Blue," a voice said.

She looked up, seeing Dragon himself. However, she frowned. This was not Dragon. Did they think her stupid? She knew the man she was sent to find. The man barely had enough Haki to knock out a kitten but the one who she knew was so powerful and intimidating to normal people that even people like Whitebeard knew who he was. She narrowed her eyes. Was this a test? Were they playing with her? She would play along for now. She would figure out what angle they were playing along the way but it set her nerves on fire with alarm.

"He said you might say that…" she said, "He also told me to mention a little boy with a blue jacket in the city of Goa… He said something about the how city smells worse than the Grey Terminals. It smells of rotten people."

"I remember him," Dragon relented, "Come, girl."

Skye nodded. She followed after the Revolutionary leader to the deeper bowls of the ship. It made her slightly nervous. The Okama watching in the shadows hummed, this was the young woman who claimed to know Dragon's little friend from years past, the boy who denounced his noble heritage. He refrained from snorting, the noble and the slave girl, how romantic. He didn't comment though. It wasn't his place. Skye looked up at the man in mutely. Sabo swore that she would never be harmed if she stepped aboard his ship. Dragon wasn't the type of man to needlessly attack her.

He had led her to a cabin, far below deck and he took many twisting, winding turns, perhaps in hopes to confuse her but he didn't. She would be able to escape should something go badly, and in some cases it did with pirates. This was her first time dealing with Dragon, alone. Last time she had Sabo by her side. Dragon opened the door for her, allowing her into the room before him. She walked in, tentatively. She was alone with one of the most wanted men in the entire seas. If the marines ever found out, her bounty would sky rocket, perhaps even beyond that of Ace because she knew things that were dangerous to the government and in the hands of a Revolutionary, the knowledge could perhaps rock the entire world.

"Sit down," Dragon requested.

Skye sat as she was told in a leather chair. It was uncomfortable, stiff underneath her. It made her feel like she was in her father's office as a child, listening to him consult others as she sat, bored but listening because one day she would have to take over his line of work. It was something she deplored. If only her brother could have taken over, but no, he had sworn himself to the military the moment an escape was offered to him, but what good did that do him when he was murdered? None. Dragon walked across the room and sat next to her in his own equally plush chair. She looked at it. It had marine insignias on it. So it meant the chairs were stolen materials from a marine ship raid. In front of the both of them was a small plate of grapes, bread and cheese.

"Are you hungry?" he questioned.

"No, sir."

She never ate what her employers had to offer her, no matter how much she trusted them. She watched Sanji with a sharp eye when he cooked. Ace tried to distract her, assuring her that the cook wouldn't try anything, but the mage still watched with sharp eyes. He never added anything lethal, but it still unnerved her to let someone else do the cooking for her. It seemed her life style had made her paranoid. They could poison it for all she knew. One had actually tried. Luckily, she had enough magical dexterity at the time to rid herself of the arsenic laced bread that she had been given. It had been a rather close call though.

"I won't harm you."

"No, thank you, sir. It's best we get to business before marines find out about my whereabouts," Skye said professionally, "Blue sent me to Alabasta, as you requested. Crocodile had been trying to usurp the throne."

"Was he now?"

Dragon had poured himself a glass of wine. Skye turned her nose away when he offered it to her. Whether or not he just uncorked it in front of her or not, needles could still inject poison into the soft tissue of the cork and through it. She never drank. It brought out the worst side of someone so she refused to partake. That did not mean she didn't deal with drunks. No, drunks often told all of their secrets with little prodding. She liked dealing with them. Just the right word in the right place and she could have them spilling their guts. It was an art she perfected. Instead, he drank it himself now that she had rejected the drink.

"The threat was nullified by a group of pirates who just happened to befriend Princess Vivi," Skye said, as a matter of fact.

"What crew?"

Skye's eyes narrowed. She thought of Luffy and a flare of protectiveness bloomed in her heart. The captain of the Merry had captured a part of her heart. He was like a little brother she had always wanted. Now, because she had lost her own brother, she had not replaced the void where her brother once stood. Ace made a good brotherly figure and he acted the same as her brother did, down to the fire powers, minus the fact that Ace had his from a Devil Fruit and her brother had it from natural talent, but it was nice to have a little brother figure. It would be horrific if the Most Wanted Man of the world went after Luffy.

"I'm afraid that's confidential. It would break a promise to another crew if I told you," Skye said.

"I'm afraid you won't leave this room alive if you don't tell me," Dragon threatened.

"That does put a damper on our relationship," Skye admitted, "But we're pirates born of action, sir, lies do not become us."

The men stared at her for a moment with a dark expression, narrowed eyes, lips curled into a sneer and an aura of bloodlust about him. He looked like he considered pulling a weapon on her. He was reaching into the jacket that he wore. However, Skye had been letting her magic sweep into the room since the moment they had stepped into the room. One more push and he would feel its effects worming their way into his system. It was nothing lethal of course, just a little parlor trick to show him who was boss. He was already feeling the lull of sleep.

"W-What?"

"Just a special trick of mine," she said, "Try to kill me and you'll be in dream land faster than you can count your sheep, sir…"

She stood up now. The man leaned back in his sleep. He was fighting the sleep that she was forcing on him. She gave him a dark look. The imposter had finally shown his true colors. Her magic stretched across the room. Her eyes narrowed when she felt a crack in the room. Someone was watching her from behind. Used to the threat of danger, she just stood her ground. She was preparing to make a shield behind herself should she have to – to deflect a weapon and turn around to stun the person. The 'static' magic curled around her hand, preparing to be unleashed the moment she turned on her heel.

"Now, all you need to know is that Alabasta is on the road to recovery. Vivi and her father are exactly what the country needs at the moment," she said, "Therefore, you can take out the Revolutionaries you have stationed there."

"Damn your crew…" he hissed.

Then he passed out. The man wasn't even strong enough to fight off a weak spell like that? What did these fools take her for? He barely had enough Haki to knock out a kitten, let alone her. Did they think her stupid? This man may have looked slightly like the man on the wanted posters and for some marines that would have been enough reason to hang him, but for her, it would take more than that to convince her. It was persona, it was the looks, it was the way he walked, the way he dressed, the way he spoke, every tiny little detail. She was good with details. She had to remember a lot because it helped save her life.

"No sir, you aren't even the real Dragon," she told the imposter, "I've met the man once before. Now, where is the real one?"

"He vwas off on a mission."

Skye turned around to see Ivankov standing behind her. She frowned. Her arms folded across her chest but her magic did not defuse. Ivankov knew this. He could feel it in the air, as strong as any odor or the aura of any Haki user. Her power was considerable to most warriors. He would have to say she could probably go on par with some of the best pirates, if it hadn't been for the fact she had never killed a man and that she had a vow of non-lethal fighting. Yet, she walked with the steps of someone who had. She carried something heavy on her heart, he knew this for sure. She had seen more than her fair share of violence, but what pirate didn't? Actually, what person didn't?

"You could have told me this yourself, you know," she said, "Instead of trying to trick me. I only allowed the information because I knew you were standing there, Ivankov."

"You vwill vwatch vwhat you say!" Ivankov said.

Skye sighed. She pulled a scroll out of her cloak. She held it out for the transvestite to take. He took it from her, examining it. It bore the seal of the Blue Masquerade pirates – a Masquerade Mask with a rose embellished on the right hand side pressed into blue wax. Blue wax was hard to come by. Most people just used red. Skye had made the wax herself, in candle form, always ready for Sabo to use for any documents he sent her off with. She never once sealed the documents herself. But she had commissioned the ring for him, at his own request. The dealer was a good man who swore to never tell anyone who he had sold to. But then again, it helped that he mysteriously 'lost' the paperwork describing who had it commissioned.

"Now, if you don't mind, I have some pressing business to attend to," Skye said.

With a swish of her cloak and a turn of her heel, she was out the door and down the hallway. Dragon's crew gave her a wide berth.

* * *

><p>Skye smiled as she finally lay down in her bed. She was tired of running around. A break would be nice. A knock on her door nearly made her groan in exasperation. She couldn't get two minutes by herself to ease the discomfort that she felt. She tried to lift herself out of bed, only to find she was sapped of all energy. She would have to get a potion for that, but later, only when she could find enough energy to do it. She had plenty of Peppy Potions that would put a skip to her step if she took just one sip. She normally only saved it for emergencies. But she had more work to do in order to please Blue.<p>

"Come in," she said.

Sabo entered her room. He walked in with practiced ease because he knew his way around the ship like the back of his hand. He sat down on the side of Skye's bed. She wearily looked up at him. Sabo put his hand on hers. Sabo, Ace and Whitebeard were the only ones she tolerated human touch from. Though, she supposed she allowed Luffy to be friendly with her when she was with him. But she shivered as she recalled Sanji. He had touched her back, somewhere she refused to let anyone touch, not even Blue or Ace. She refused hugs (not including that surprise hug from Luffy when she left and it would have been rude to just push him away), unless she accepted them tensely, or pats on the backs or other forms of contact near that area. She even refused to allow anyone else to treat her when she received wounds around her stomach or back.

"Are you hungry?" Sabo questioned, "I'll get you something."

"If you wouldn't mind," Skye said.

Skye rolled over. She smiled and grasped his hand tightly in hers. She was tired beyond belief. But she had done her work and had done it well or so she liked to believe. She had done everything he had asked and more. She had found his other brother. Now, it was just up to her to get the three brothers together. That was going to be a bit more challenging; especially with all the work she does to make Sabo happy in the first place. But she appreciated a challenge and would face it with every ounce of energy she had. This was one of the most important task she had undertaken in a few years, even if it wasn't under orders.

"Chamomile with mint?" Sabo questioned.

"Please."

There were times he she was glad that he could not see how pathetic she looked. She smiled weakly at him. But he also knew of her weakness – tea. She adored the substance. She would have it with every meal if she could and he allowed her to have it. He liked taking care of her, but she thought it was because he was just giving it to her for her hard work. It was always hard for her to turn down a glass when she was with other customers and they offered her a cup, which was why Sabo sometimes sent her with a crewmate, to make sure she didn't drink poisoned tea. It was her only downfall when it came to substances.

"Is your insomnia back?" Sabo inquired.

"Unfortunately," Skye replied, "But I got everything done…"

Sabo shook his head. He did not want her killing herself for him. She was to be his first mate for a long time, but each island they visited, he noticed changes in her. She became more and more solemn. In fact, she rarely joked anymore. He didn't know it was because of what she saw when he sent her on missions that hurt her. She had seen too many ruins since the day she became a pirate. It was almost a part of her job description, one of those unmentioned things that were a part of your job that your boss failed to mention upon the interview. The pirates she ran into always made the seas sound so glorious that it captured the hearts of many people, but she saw things and was documenting them for future references.

Each village weighed heavily on her heart because she knew people one lived in the destroyed villages, good people. They were people with jobs, homes and families. Most of those people who were innocent died. She wondered if Blue's stories wouldn't scare people away from the seas instead of driving them to it, like he had hoped when he was a child. It was childish inexperience to think that everything in the world was good. But everything was not bad either. She knew that much, even if she no longer cared for her life as a pirate as much as she once did. The seas did not hold her heart anymore.

"We're going to head to Seashell Island tonight," Sabo said conversationally.

"What are we doing there?" Skye asked.

Sabo laughed. He squeezed her hand tightly. He knew that others made her uncomfortable. She was still recovering due to her branding. She shied away from other humans but often sought solace in him. There were nights when night terrors would rip through her and he was the only one that could calm her when she reawakened. He recalled how many nights he held her as she cried. It started on Whitebeard's ship and had gradually decreased. She occasionally had an episode but only when something reminded her of the pain she had felt that day. He had long since gotten over his branding and took to freedom like a fish to water.

"Absolutely nothing. We are going to relax. You and the rest of the crew have been working too hard.

"That's really nice of you," Skye said.

"I'll go get your lunch. Dinner will be my treat," Sabo said.

He got to his feet and left. Skye smiled to herself. Sabo tried to make port once a month to allow the crew to go inland. This was their second trip to an island that month. Sabo was really spoiling them. So when they docked she had gone to eat with Sabo, just as she always did. Their meal was simple, beef (only because they got to stop in a port before Alabasta and buy it), vegetables (a stir fry of sorts with water chestnuts. They were some of Skye's favorites), and for dessert someone had bought chocolate. Chocolate was hard to get on the seas. They always rationed it. But since two of Skye's jobs had gone over so well and she had been paid handsomely, they were able to get more of it to last longer.

She had just made up a plate for both of them. She set his in front of him and handed him his silverware before turning to her meal, silently. She cut into the beef and took a bite. It was good to have some food from the land. Seafood was not her preferred favorite. In fact, before she took to the seas she detested it, but she had to eat in order to survive. So she ate what she had to. She would still prefer to eat on the land when they were docked by the land, even if it meant going into town in a disguise. She had done it before. She had taken Sabo with her a few times, using glamours to hide him away from others.

Yet as she ate, she did not notice that Sabo, looking in her general direction, was frowning. This woman by his side had confused him of late. She had always been loyal to him and it wasn't until Matthew questioned why she was always there for him, even when she disagreed with what he did. It brought forth a lot of questions. What did he really know about his first mate? She had just sworn herself to him one day after her branding and his release. She protected him, fought for him, sweat for him, cried for him, bled for him, and all without question or reason.

"Skye, where do you come from?"

The question burst from his lips before he could stop it. Talking about the past was something that neither of them had done. It was just one of those unspoken topics that neither of them broached. She never asked his past, but he told her anyways. As the good listener she was, she wrote it for him, making his first book. She was waiting until she wrote to the end of their adventure to publish them all. She wanted to make sure that as they reached their golden years, they had some source of money, though neither of them believed that the World Government would ever let those books reach the light of day.

Skye stared at her captain for a good long minute. Words that had been thought in her mind couldn't seem to find their way to her tongue as she stared at Sabo. They had been discussing a new trip, one the both of them planned to take together in order to gather new information. The crew was coming as well, but they would not leave the ship. The whereabouts of her home had not been anywhere near the topic they had been discussing just moments before. They had been discussing the Rumbar pirates and how the lighthouse keeper wanted proof that those pirates weren't coming back for the whale Laboon.

"Why do you want to know?" Skye asked.

"Well, we've been friends for four years now," Sabo said, "But we don't really know anything about each other's pasts. I've told you things here and there, but I've kept secrets."

Skye swallowed thickly. She knew where this was going. She had to have expected this conversation at one point, but after so many years at sea with him, she had forgotten about it because it had never been spoken. She stopped anticipating it. He wanted to know about her past, something she personally chose not to talk about. It made her too upset to realize she would never be able to go back. It wasn't because of how she swore herself to Sabo, it was because she had broken laws that the council frowned upon and she was wanted by the marines. If she went back, that was as sure as asking for an execution sentencing.

"We're allowed to keep secrets," Skye said.

"But you never talk about your past. It's only ever about things you have done since we became pirates," Sabo protested, "Please, as your friend I beg of you to just humor me a little."

Skye took a deep breath. Friend? She and Sabo were friends? She thought he had only seen their relationship as one of a Master and a Servant. She was his tool. She was his dog. He said jump and she did it. He said bite and she would. She had regarded it that way the entire time but he had come to see something more of her… Then, did she feel the same way? She was close to him, yes, but she had always told Ace more about herself. She felt freer around Ace. She could tell him anything and know he would never use it against her.

"I… I come from a place called Home. It's where mages are born and raised," Skye explained, "I'm sure the World Government calls it something differently."

"What's it like?"

Skye shifted uneasily. They had both seen many destroyed villages. There were too many to count. There were too many lives lost to count. The two seasoned pirates had come to realize that you simply couldn't save every village. They had come to terms with the concept of being unable to save every villager. So Ace hardly tried anymore to protect civilians, but Skye redoubled her efforts to make sure they wouldn't need saving in the first place. However, Home was the one place on their Earth that she knew did not have the World Government's hands all over it. She intended to keep the outside world where it was – outside.

"Blue! Emeralds! I gots me a marine!" Amber's voice rang out.

"Coming!"

Skye grabbed her black book off the table and dashed out. Sabo was still sitting at the table, his right hand raised in the direction of Skye's hand, but his hand grasped air. He could hear her hurried footsteps away from the pub and the door slam behind her. His hand was still hanging in mid-air, after missing the mage's hand when she had swiftly turned and walked away from him. A faint regret was still lingering in his fingers, for having missed the opportunity to catch her. So his hand was still suspended there, as if his mind and heart were still disagreeing on whether he had been right or not to let her escape.

It was as if he was telling himself not to force her to tell him the truth if it was costing her so much while he couldn't help but want her to confide in him, as if he was still hesitating between propriety and what he truly desired. So Sabo could only gaze into darkness at the now empty space in front of him, and finally lowered his hand, clenching his teeth and fists as if to hold back the frustration of seeing her walk away from him without having answered his hopes. He then breathed deeply to calm down. It had come to his attention during a conversation with Orion that Sabo didn't really know Skye as well as he thought he did.


	18. Chapter XVIII: Whitebeard's Crew

**Yeah, I know it's been a while. However, I needed to take some time for myself. My uncle just died under mysterious circumstances. That and summer jobs eat into your time a lot. The school also decided to cut my funding by four grand. I'm a poor college brat and now I need to work harder to make my money stretch farther. **

**Sorry.**

* * *

><p>"Damian Blue!"<p>

The crew looked up from what they were doing. They had been surrounded by marines. A gruff looking lieutenant from the side of their ship, stepped up, once they were parallel to each other. Skye held her book underneath her robes. She was prepared to wipe the memories the marines had, or to teleport them hundreds of miles away from where they were or whatever it was that Blue – no, Sabo – ordered her to do. She had to remember to call him Sabo when she was around him. It was odd for her to get used to that when she often referred to him as Blue. He was her Captain, and she would die for him. But when she was on his ship, he viewed her as a friend, yet she still had a hard time accepting that.

"Under the orders of the Marines and the World Government, I am obliged to bring you to justice. I advise you to surrender at once," the marine ordered.

The crew parted as Sabo stepped out of his cabins. Skye walked beside him. The two made quite the pair on the deck of the ship – Skye – dressed in an elegant white dress and her robes flowing against the wind and Sabo – the picturesque gentleman of blue with a top hat and cane which Skye had altered to be his sword as well. He needed the cane to 'see' as a walking stick as many blind men often do and it fit his outfit very well. Sabo sighed to himself and took off his top hat. Young Ryou took the hat from the Captain and scurried downstairs with his brother Jun. Neither of them were allowed on the deck when Marines were around.

"And if I don't?" Sabo inquired.

"Then you should know that bringing you and your crew back to base alive is optional," the lieutenant said boldly.

"Then, sir, I must say you've chosen the wrong crew to challenge."

Suddenly marines started running towards Sabo with the intent to attack. Skye was already there. Her white cloak was fluttering behind her with the sure amount of speed that she used to get in front of Sabo so quickly. Her black book was glowing gold within her hands, illuminating her face though she was in shadows. She smirked and help up her hand. The marines who had not attacked were gasping. A barrier formed between those who were leaping in front of her. They were instantly frozen in midair, dangling and helpless, unable to move either way. Skye smirked darkly. She pushed a little harder with her hand. Instantly, they were pinned against the wall of their own ship.

"Behind you, Emeralds!" Amber cried.

Orion was there in a heartbeat to protect her, like she knew he would have. Perhaps Zoro was right. Her crew did care for her – in their own way. It was odd that she needed someone else to tell her that they cared in order to realize it but they did. She smiled to herself, hoping to one day be able to thank the green haired swordsman for making her realize it. He swung his sword. The force of swing blew the marines who had snuck up behind Skye away from her, but did not harm them. The marines were now looking hesitant. Skye and her crew had been beyond Sabaody. They were seasoned enough to be able to handle a bunch of uppity marines who thought that if they took out a major league crew they were major league marines due for high promotions and lots of money. Skye straightened her posture. Her cloak fluttered down around her and straightened. She narrowed her eyes.

"Back off," Orion grunted, "You're out of your league."

"Captain, your orders?" Skye questioned.

"Disarm but don't kill…" Sabo replied.

She and the crew nodded. They never often killed the marines unless they were corrupt. These men had nothing to fear of them. They would not die, though they would be beaten – perhaps severely. They deserved it. Plus, like any crew, Sabo's crew itched for a fight. With a single nod from their captain, they launched themselves into battle. Skye stayed by Sabo's side, ready to protect and defend but she also made sure the marines stayed where they were supposed to, making sure no one went snooping about their ship. She blasted a few of them off the ship when they tried to sneak into the lower decks and cabins.

They were just lucky there weren't any Sea Kings in this part of the ocean.

* * *

><p>After the battle Skye spotted a ship on the horizon. She smiled at Blue and touched his hand. This was her way of telling him that it was a friendly ship nearby. It was lucky since they finally cleared the wreckage of the marine ship they sank. The men would live. They just now knew better than to challenge any random pirate crew to a battle. Orion looked satisfied with the fight and Amber was busy counting the loot she had stolen from them. There were many odd trinkets lying around like dials and eternal poses. Those would go to their collection. The gold would either be given to small villages in need or be sold to well off towns for beli.<p>

"Pops is here…" she whispered.

"Go report to him. We'll see you at Shell Island," Blue said, "And remember, we're going out for dinner tonight so don't tell Pops you have nothing to do else he might just try to feed you."

Skye laughed. She went off to gather her things together to go visit the older man. She didn't realize that there was a look of mourning on Sabo's face. How he wished he could go with her but he felt he was a disappointment to Whitebeard so he stayed away. The Blue Masquerade crew watched as she pulled her ship up next to the Moby Dick. She climbed on board once a ladder was thrown over the side. She seized the large bottle of sake she had bought from Alabasta and climbed up, struggling only to get the bottle over the rail. Someone took it from her and offered her a hand. She looked up, smiling at Marco. He pulled her over the rails, onto the deck of the ship. He put down the large sake bottle and hugged her tightly.

"It's good to see you, Skye," Marco said.

"It's been too long," Skye agreed.

Skye let him go. She pat him on the shoulder once to show that she appreciated the gesture. She never was touchy feely and often hated letting people touch her back. Marco was one of the few who knew why. It was because of her scar. He eyed the sake bottle that she had brought him. It was huge and he was surprised she could lift it. Apparently, she had gotten stronger since the last time he saw her, which was only to be expected since she had been nothing but a brat back then and now she had grown a good foot and a half. She just smiled at him, beaming like she had on the first day when she and Sabo were treated like they were a part of the crew – just as two of Pop's children – not two runaway slaves like they were. It had been a good day for all of them.

"Now, where's the old man? I brought him a gift!"

"Skye!"

Skye smiled once she saw Whitebeard, sitting in his chair on deck. Nurses surrounded him, fussing over him and concerning medical terms in hushed but worried tones. They looked upset about something or another. Naturally, this caused Skye to be concerned. This could be a good sign or a bad sign, considering on what Whitebeard did. His health came first. And it had been taking a turn for the worse as of late. The crew was like a second family to her. She always worried about her brothers and sisters. She worried over her father as well. She walked up to the center of the deck, many of her brothers were watching her intently.

"What's wrong, ladies?" Skye questioned.

"Whitebeard replaced his IV with sake," a woman responded tartly.

The woman gave Whitebeard a pointed glare, though it would do no good because truly, Whitebeard has seen more terrifying things in his life time. The man chuckled richly, as if someone told him a funny joke, instead of acting like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Skye knew he was guilty as charged. He wouldn't deny it. He probably had exchanged his IV with sake. Perhaps Skye was throwing fuel on the fire by bringing more sake but she didn't see her 'dad' often so she liked to indulge and bring him nice things. He deserved it. He was a good man with a good heart.

"Eh? A man lives only once," Skye shrugged, "Let him do what he wants."

She picked up the large sake bottle. There were twelve gallons of Alabasta's finest sake that the King had given her. The clay jar it was in was large enough for her to put a small child inside it, though the idea would never cross her mind unless it was for the child's safety. She walked over to her adoptive father. He gave off such a staggering aura, one that at first made people fearful, but actually, seemed protective. He seemed to be surrounded by trust and unbreakable bonds. He was a truly great man, nothing like the marines had described, nothing like the lies that were spreading.

The marines were spreading lies about Whitebeard to make people fear him. The marines had lied so many times, tried to force their opinions on the people and so many of their corrupted views of justice that did little good for the people they were trying to protect. The World Government resembled tyranny more than anything else. They were ruling by fear. But Whitebeard was different. He ruled by love. She wanted to see someone else step up and do the same once Whitebeard either passed on or retired from piracy, thought the latter seemed highly impossible due to the fact Whitebeard loved the sea as much as a person loved the air they breathed.

"Gurarara! Same as always, Skye," Whitebeard laughed.

"You know, Princess Vivi and her father sent a bottle of sake with me… Now, we both know I'm not a drinker. Would you care to take it off my hands, Pops?" Skye questioned.

Skye lifted the large container of sake, to show it to her old man. The captain was more than happy to take it off her hands. She lifted the container and placed it in the palm of her father's hand. A crewmate procured a sake dish for Whitebeard to use. He waited with the anticipation of an excited child as the sake was poured. He took a big drink from it before sighing to himself in content. Skye smiled. She had made sure to check for every known poison she could find. Nothing had been placed inside the sake aside from the normal ingredients. She would never give her father poisoned sake. She would rather kill herself than do that.

"Come! Sit!" Whitebeard ordered.

Skye obliged. She sat on the deck in front of the older captain. All Whitebeard had to do was say jump and she would say how high and jump to please him. She would do anything he said. She only had that sort of loyalty towards few people. She would question things that Ace asked of her and Luffy, but Whitebeard and Sabo had her true obedience. She watched as Whitebeard poured himself some sake. He took a giant gulp of the liquid. Skye cringed. She had seen even Zoro flinch when trying Alabastan sake. It was strong stuff. Yet Whitebeard could drink it as if it were no more than water. Well, she supposed with age came the ability to do things like that. Plus, his liver was practically made of steel so that would help.

"Can I get you anything, Skye?" a nurse asked.

"No, but thank you anyways," Skye said.

"She would like something. She's just too polite to ask for it," Marco said, "Get her a peppermint tea, two sugars and a little cream."

Skye felt her face heat up. She ducked her head. Was she really that easy to read? She did have a craving for a cup of tea. But she always enjoyed a good cup of tea. Whitebeard could steal the best tea, while she was stuck with hit and miss cups of her favorite beverage. It seemed that she was not the only one to dote upon the other. Whitebeard and the others looked after her like family. Marco knew her as well as Blue and Ace did. Whitebeard just laughed at her embarrassment. She then brushed it off. Her face was slightly pink as she looked up but she was going to pretend that Marco hadn't said a word.

"I'm fine," she assured him, "Really."

The smug smirk she got in response told Skye that Marco did not believe her in the slightest. However, the tea was brought to her, precisely how she liked it, despite her protests to Marco about whether or not she wanted the tea or not. She was tempted to take a drink immediately but that would only further her embarrassment. The First Division Commander grinned and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and giving her a one-armed hug. She nearly spilt the tea but she managed to keep it all in it's cup. Marco wouldn't get burned by the hot liquid if she hadn't, but she would have. She didn't have the fire powers he and Ace did.

"Now drink up, little miss," Marco teased, "We only keep tea in stock for you."

"So, what brings you here?" a nurse asked.

Skye smiled into her cup and took a drink. She set it back on its saucer and looked up. So she started explaining what she had seen once more, telling her story and regaling them all. She told of how she met Luffy, Ace's younger brother, and then how she ran into Ace who was following a lead on Blackbeard. She told of how she found out about Thatch and gave her condolences as she should have when it first happened. She went on to describe their trip to the desert and what had actually happened out there regarding Blackbeard and how Ace just vanished as quickly as he came after he found out his lead was a false one.

"Father… I… It's dangerous," Skye whispered, "Please, let Blue and I take care of Blackbeard. If we can catch him before he gets a crew, then our crew can help us finish him off."

"No, this is Ace's job."

"I have a bad fee-"

"My decision is final."

Skye felt her lips purse into a tight line. She couldn't argue with him. He was one of the few she respected but in this case, she felt he was wrong. She looked out over the night sky. It was getting late. Blue was probably waiting for her at Shell Island. She imagined him waiting for her at the restaurant, looking like someone who had gotten stood up on a date. She couldn't let that happen. She still had to figure out if he really meant what he said about her being his friend. She had only viewed their relationship as one of work but if she could get more out of it, it might stop the loneliness she felt. She got to her feet. Her empty tea glass was sitting at her feet. She then bowed to Whitebeard, only once, with her hand over her heart as she lowered her head.

"It's late, Pops. I have to be going. Blue is waiting for me."

Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively, letting her go where she felt that she needed to. She smiled to herself, recalling all of the memories she had on the Moby Dick – the good and the bad.

* * *

><p><em>Ace gasped. He immediately jackknifed into a sitting position, only to groan and flop back down because of the pain. He had just fought Jimbe – a warlord sworn to protect Whitebeard for some dumb reason. He had fought the man but then Whitebeard showed up. Ace couldn't remember much after that except for the fact he was beaten into the ground by the old man. Anger coursed through his being and he clenched his hands into fists. A gentle hand was placed against his shoulder. He was pushed down, slowly but tenderly. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar face.<em>

_"Skye?" he asked. _

_The other pirate smiled at him. He remembered her. He had met her in the first town he had gotten his bounty at. When she found the marines were chasing after him, she had gotten him onto her ship and sailed off with him. Then she gave him his start up, helping him gain a crew and steal his own ship – the Stacked Deck. He loved that ship and took care of it. But he remembered the flames and how Whitebeard's crew destroyed the ship. The Stacked Deck was no more. It was like he had lost a part of himself in losing his ship. Fury was blinding at this point. _

_"Lay back down," she ordered gently, "I'm not done patching you up yet."_

_"W-Whitebeard! My men!"_

_"All fine," Skye soothed. _

_Ace relaxed at her words. She would never lie to him. He knew that much about her. He had created the wall between his men and Whitebeard for them to escape. He had to have been on Skye's ship now. It seemed he owed her big. She had saved him from Whitebeard, which meant that she was stronger than he thought of her if she had managed to do that much. He had never been on her ship before, aside from the minor sail boats she would often steal to get from island to island. Perhaps he would get to meet her mysterious boss – Blue. Yeah, he would like to meet Blue for the first time. It was overdue._

_"W-What happened?" Ace croaked._

_Skye picked up a glass of water from her side. Ace tried to reach for it on his own but he found he was completely drained of energy. The woman gave a patient smile as he had the decency to blush from embarrassment. He hated being weak in front of others, Skye knew this so she didn't push him any further than she had to. She helped Ace sit up, much to his embarrassment, to drink it. She eased him down after he drained the glass. Then she put the glass down, returning to her medicines and other tonics that he knew she carried with her._

_"You lost to Whitebeard," Skye said, "You're on his ship."_

_Ace's eyes widened. A strangled yell escaped his lips. Energy came rushing back to him. He grabbed Skye's hand tightly. She stared at him in surprise by the horrified look on his face. A sweat had broken out above his brow. He would fight for the two of them if he had to. He had never seen her fight before, but he would defend her because she was his friend. The tweezers in her fingers dropped to the ground, as did the cotton ball with peroxide. She stared at him blankly, wondering what had come over him. _

_"Are you a prisoner too? Has he hurt you?"_

_Skye blinked in surprise. The thought seemed to horrify her that Ace had even asked in the first place. Though, he didn't know her past. She never discussed it with him because he was so dead set on killing Whitebeard that at the time, she feared he would try to kill her as well. She had hoped to dissuade him from going after the man, but it seemed all of her discouragement only encouraged him further. What vendetta did Ace have against Whitebeard? He wanted to prove he was the strongest man in the seas but why? It made no sense to kill someone who had never caused you harm before. _

_"Whitebeard has never raised a finger against me. He pulled me out of the ocean a year ago," Skye explained, "I'm not his prisoner."_

_"B-But why are you here?"_

_"I was sailing by when Marco called me over," Skye explained, "I'm… a doctor so they had me come over to take a look at you."_

_Ace grimaced. Skye had instantly sailed over the moment she heard it was Ace who was hurt. She got on board to find that Ace's crew had tried to stage a rescue but were captured, so she tended to their wounds, then to Ace. She had grown attached to the super rookie. She healed him as much as she could get away with, so that he wouldn't notice a miraculous recovery. He still didn't know about her magic and she was tentative to let him find out. There had been so many people who hated her for what she could do. She was afraid of what would happen if Ace hated her. He was a great person and she would loathe losing him. Marco said she was just being a coward. _

_"I'm going to kill him," Ace declared. _

_"Whitebeard?" Skye asked, "Why? Don't you know what that would do?"_

_"Yeah," Ace said, "I'll be the strongest man in the world. Then I'm going after One Piece."_

_Skye made a face. She looked down at the floorboards and slowly pulled her hands away from him. The idea of a world without Whitebeard? The thought left a lump in her throat and her chest felt heavy. This man, he took her in when the rest of the world hated her. He had done the same for Blue. To lose him, would be like losing her real father all over again. She couldn't imagine the pain that would bring her, not after she was still healing because of the hurt. Ace was only looking at the surface of what his action would do. _

_"Ace, Whitebeard has hundreds of islands under his protection! Do you have any idea what would happen to those islands if he were to die?" Skye demanded. _

_Ace stared at Skye in surprise. He had never heard her raise her voice before. She sounded truly terrified of what would happen after Whitebeard died. If Whitebeard were to die, it would cause a world revolution. Islands would be torn apart by pirates, seeking to have footholds in the New World and in Paradise like Whitebeard did. People would die. Battles would be fought and no one would care what would become of civilian life. It was the one thing she hated about being a pirate – battles. Battles meant death which meant losing friends and family. Had Ace really no idea what would happen because of his decision? _

_"They'll be fine," Ace assured her._

_"Really?" Skye snarled, "Do you have any idea of half of the things that go on after Paradise?"_

_"Paradise?" Ace questioned. _

_Skye stared at him in mute shock. He was still that green? He hadn't even been to see the New World yet? Part of her was even more infuriated by his decision now because he was being unfeeling towards people who depended on Whitebeard to survive. She wanted to scream and shake him until his teeth rattled but she refrained. What was the point of yelling if he refused to listen to her? She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It did little for her nerves. She would have to leave soon or she may do something she regret. _

_"You haven't even been to the New World?" Skye gasped. _

_"New what?" _

_Skye glared at Ace. He was a tenderfoot after all and he could have started a world war because of the shift of power. Yet all he cared about was the name of being the strongest man in all of the seas. That title came with responsibility and she knew that Ace would never be able to manage something like that. Fury burned beneath her skin but then she took a deep breath. Just because she knew what lie beyond Sabaody did not mean everyone did. She was changed. Ace was not. It was as simple as that. _

_"The New World! It's the other half of the ocean, after you go past Sabaody Archipelago!" Skye shouted._

_"No, I haven't been there. I haven't been to Sabaody yet either."_

_Skye took a deep breath. She ran a hand through her hair. Ace stared at her. She was just a normal woman who wanted, in her own way, to make the world a better place, and who it turned out, was willing to go to extraordinary lengths to see that mission through. She would even die if it meant bettering the world even just a little bit. She had nothing to lose but Ace didn't know that. However, this secrecy was driving him nuts. She always knew more than he did. She always came to him, precisely when she needed her and not a moment sooner. It infuriated him how she always knew what he needed and when he needed it. _

_"I'm going to get tell Pops you're awake…" she said, "But you won't see him until you're completely rested."_

_Ace frowned. Suddenly fatigue hit him like a freight train. However, it wasn't like his narcolepsy was kicking in. This felt like he was physically tired. Then he remembered the water. It had tasted funny, in a way that he knew was off. He thought nothing of it because he trusted her. Now he realized that was the wrong thing to do. Terror struck his being. He was on an enemy ship and he was losing consciousness because of her. He stared at her, horror struck. She stared back down at him dispassionately. Her eyes were closed off from the world. He had seen this look when she dealt with clients she didn't like. Did she hate him? Did she want him dead? The thought hurt. _

_"Wh-what'd you do to me?" Ace asked._

_"Sleeping… medicine," Skye responded, "Night Ace."_

_Before he could try protesting again, that godforsaken medicine crashed over him. Ace ended up passing out, more warm and comfortable beneath the blankets than he'd ever admit, even to himself._


End file.
